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October 17

I Am the Way

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THE WOMAN SAID TO THE SERPENT, ‘WE MAY EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREES IN THE GARDEN, BUT GOD DID SAY, ‘YOU MUST NOT EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREE THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN, AND YOU MUST NOT TOUCH IT, OR YOU WILL DIE’

‘YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE,’ THE SERPENT SAID TO THE WOMAN
(Genesis 3:2-4).

Notice that there are two sources of counsel available to you: God’s Counsel, and the father-of-lies’ counsel.

Notice that the father-of-lies’ counsel opposes God’s Counsel…resists God’s instructions…attacks God’s Word.

WE DEMOLISH ARGUMENTS AND EVERY PRETENSION THAT SETS ITSELF UP AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, AND WE TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT TO MAKE IT OBEDIENT TO CHRIST
(2 Corinthians 10:5).

What bothers me most about the father-of-lies is that he uses his deceitful counsel to accomplish his evil deeds through MY body, soul, and spirit.  He uses MY thoughts as a vessel for his arguments against the knowledge of God.  He uses MY interpretations…MY conclusions…MY perceptions as the medium into which he deposits his negative, destructive beliefs of abandonment, shame, condemnation, and rejection. He uses MY mind to control me from the inside-out: to influence MY emotions, to contaminate MY nature, to taint MY personality, and to confuse MY God-given purpose.

JESUS SAITH UNTO HIM, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME
(John 14:6).

I bless you to know that you do not have to live according to the father-of-lies’ counsel. There is another Counsel available to you. It is the Truth. His name is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. You have a choice. If you choose to surrender your thoughts to the Truth, He will rule in your body, soul, and spirit. He will nurture your emotions, decontaminate your nature, purify your personality, and inspire your desires through a brand new purpose.

Whose counsel do you follow, daily, moment-by-moment? What effect has this had on your emotions, your personality, your desires, your nature, your deeds, and your purpose?

What are you going to do about this?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I choose You. I choose the Truth to reign in my body, soul, and spirit.

Maintain an Awareness

It is very important that you understand that it is not so much what happened to you during your childhood that affected you the most, BUT WHAT YOU CAME TO BELIEVE ABOUT YOUR SELF, OTHERS, AND GOD, IN RESPONSE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES (facts) of your childhood life.

The Two Counsels
October 13

The Will of the Perfect Father

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YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
(Matthew 6:10).

The Will of the Perfect Father is the highest Power in Heaven and on earth.  Nothing can withstand it…except our own will.

ARE NOT TWO SPARROWS SOLD FOR A PENNY?  YET NOT ONE OF THEM WILL FALL TO THE GROUND APART FROM THE WILL OF YOUR FATHER
(Matthew 10:29).

On the other hand, the father-of-lies is always ready to persuade us to do HIS will: to follow his negative, destructive thoughts “God does not love you. God only wants to harm you. God only wants to punish you, because He is a villain—someone without principles.” The father-of-lies constantly promotes his own will through your will, because he knows if we chose HIS rebellious will, he would be able to manifest his own sinful nature in us, along with his own deceitful desires, his own accusatory beliefs with their painful feelings, his own evil deeds, and his own destructive purpose.

YOU ARE WORTHY, OUR LORD AND GOD, TO RECEIVE GLORY AND HONOR AND POWER, FOR YOU CREATED ALL THINGS, AND BY YOUR WILL THEY WERE CREATED AND HAVE THEIR BEING
(Revelation 4:11).

The father-of-lies will always try to persuade you that HIS rebellious will is good for your life, and that the Perfect Father’s Will is bad for you.  However, whenever you believe the father-of-lies’ negative, destructive thoughts, you will be filled with suspicion, hatred, sadness, confusion, guilt, jealousy, and anger. His beliefs of rejection, shame, condemnation, and abandonment will reign in your heart. His unworthiness will cover your soul. His hopelessness will abuse your heart. On the other hand, the more you submit to God’s Perfect Will, the more you are filled with His Hope, Truth, and Love, for by His Will you were created and have your being. Know that what the father-of-lies has been telling you about Him is not true. The father-of-lies is the real villain. He is the one without the principles. He is the one who does not love you and wants to harm and punish you. Know that when you allow the Father’s Will to reign in your life, the father-of-lies’ will has no hold on your life.  However, this all depends on YOUR will.

Whom do you serve with YOUR will: the Perfect Father…or the father-of-lies?

PRAYER: Perfect Father, with my will I choose Your Will to reign in my life: in my thoughts, in my actions, in my nature, in my desires, in my emotions, and in my purpose.

Maintain an Awareness

The father-of-lies opposes God’s Counsel by telling us the exact opposite of what God says. His deception provides the pink slippery world in our minds that do not make sense.

The Two Counsels
October 12

To Him Who Overcomes

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What is there in your life that causes you to feel so bad, sad, and mad?  Is it the belief that you are unacceptable, unloved, unworthy, or unwanted? Know that these negative, destructive beliefs from the father-of-lies, along with their accompanying emotions, cause certain temptations in your life—temptations that need to be overcome.

HE THAT OVERCOMETH, THE SAME SHALL BE CLOTHED IN WHITE RAIMENT; AND I WILL NOT BLOT OUT HIS NAME OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE, BUT I WILL CONFESS HIS NAME BEFORE MY FATHER, AND BEFORE HIS ANGELS
(Revelation 3:5).

Know that the Lord Jesus regards overcoming as something very valuable.  If you live a life of overcoming, your name is so commendable that it will appear in the book of Life, and the Perfect Father, the Most High, the Creator of all things, will know your name, personally.

BECAUSE THOU HAST KEPT THE WORD OF MY PATIENCE, I ALSO WILL KEEP THEE FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION, WHICH SHALL COME UPON ALL THE WORLD, TO TRY THEM THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH
(Revelation 3:10).

Precious One, do not try to fight temptation by yourself, in your own strength. You will fail, each time, because the one who is tempting you is more cunning than you will ever be. But, I, your Savior, came to keep you from the hour of temptation, for I will tell you the Truth about being unacceptable, unworthy, unloved, and unwanted. But, before I do this, you need to ADMIT how you feel and SUBMIT the negative, destructive beliefs that accompany your feelings, to Me. Then, I will COMMIT to you. My immediate Presence in your life will keep you from the hour of temptation, each time.

TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH WILL I GRANT TO SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, AND AM SET DOWN WITH MY FATHER IN HIS THRONE
(Revelation 3:21).

Be patient during temptation.  Do not run to sinful defense patterns to escape the pain of being unloved or unwanted.  Do not hide the pain of unworthiness in your heart by pretending that you are okay, or wear a mask to pretend that you are not who you are.  Do not blame others for your pain of non-acceptance.  Instead, run to the Lord Jesus.  He will let you sit with Him on His throne…to reign over the temptations in your life.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how good to know that You can keep me from the hour of temptation…IF I come to You. My Lord, teach me to deal with temptation Your way, instead of trying to deal with it through my own defense mechanisms of running, hiding, and blaming others.

Maintain an Awareness

Often times, we use the same defense mechanisms we saw our parents or other authority figures use, during our childhood lives. If they hid behind a smile to pretend that everything was OK, we learned to do the same.

The Two Counsels
October 10

The Guilt of Experiencing Pain

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Sin does not stand alone.  It does not happen by itself.  It sits on a pillar of beliefs, suggested by the father-of-lies: beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame.  Understand that these beliefs cause anguish: anger, animosity, jealousy, fear, disappointment, confusion, guilt, and despair.  Know that these painful emotions are interconnected with the disheartening beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame. You do not experience one without the other. They are both part of the OLD MAN, the body of sin that came to live its life in each of us.

 KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN
(Romans 6:6).

I used to feel very guilty whenever I experienced painful emotions in my heart.  I always thought these painful emotions of anger, animosity, jealousy, fear, disappointment, and despair rendered me bad; therefore, I concluded that I had to flee from them as soon as possible.  I did not know that these painful emotions were merely an indication that a negative, destructive OLD MAN belief, planted in my heart by the father-of-lies, was being triggered. What a revelation it was when I realized it was not the PAIN in my heart, but my REACTION to it, that rendered me sinful.

THEREFORE DO NOT LET SIN REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY SO THAT YOU OBEY ITS EVIL DESIRES
(Romans 6:12).

Blessed One, be patient when your heart is aching. Do not react to your pain. Do not hide from it, run away from it, or blame it on someone else. If you do, this will cause sin to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Instead, cry out to Me, Jesus, your Savior. Find the negative, destructive OLD MAN beliefs that are associated with these painful emotions in your heart. Then, ask Me to crucify these beliefs for you. I will answer you by setting you free.

IN MY ANGUISH I CRIED TO THE LORD, AND HE ANSWERED BY SETTING ME FREE
(Psalm 118:5).

What will you do with the current pain in your heart: will you react to it sinfully…or will you submit it to the Lord Jesus?

Did you know that your painful emotions are not really a result of your circumstances, but a result of the negative beliefs, instilled in your mind by the father-of-lies? Your pain serves as a temptation to obey the father-of-lies…or as an opportunity to surrender to God. Which one will it be for you?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that You came to set me free from the OLD MAN, the body of sin that came to reign in me through its negative, destructive beliefs and its associated emotions. Call me to You whenever I feel like reacting to these painful emotions, Lord Jesus. Crucify the OLD MAN in me, so the body of sin in me might be destroyed.

Maintain an Awareness

God wants you to desire His Love, because He wants to pour His Love directly into YOUR heart, right there where it hurts so much.

The Two Counsels
October 09

The New Is Here

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SO GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE CREATED HIM; MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM
(Genesis 1:27).

What was man like right after God created him?  What was it like to not only be created in the image of God, but to be living in the image of God and acting in the image of God, as well?  It must have been a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

But, something changed. The father-of-lies instilled an OLD MAN in us. This OLD MAN, the body of sin, consists of its own beliefs, its own nature, its own desires, its own emotions, its own will, its own deeds, and its own purpose. The OLD MAN lives in us and through us. He uses our minds as the tool to think his negative, destructive beliefs of abandonment, shame, condemnation, and rejection. He uses our emotions as the catalyst to feel his feelings of disappointment, shame, fear, anxiety, hatred, jealousy, and resentment. He uses our hearts as the vehicle to execute deceitful desires that only benefit him. He uses our personalities as the mechanism through which he lives his nature—the pitiful, pathetic victim-nature, the guilt-ridden, unworthy blame-nature, the negative, lamenting doom-nature, and the fake, alluring show-off nature. He uses our wills as the launcher of his own spiteful, rebellious will. And he uses our bodies as his instruments of unrighteousness—the sinful deeds of the OLD MAN. The image of God in man was forever distorted…maimed…disabled when the OLD MAN body of sin moved in, because when the OLD MAN moved in, God moved out.

 AND HAVE PUT ON THE NEW MAN, WHICH IS RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE AFTER THE IMAGE OF HIM THAT CREATED HIM
(Colossians 3:10).

But then, God sent us a NEW MAN—the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son. Not only is He created in God’s image, but He also lives in God’s image and acts in God’s image, as well. And He came to live His Life in us—His Beliefs with His Emotions, His Nature, His Desires, His Will, His Purpose with His Deeds.

THEREFORE, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, THE NEW CREATION HAS COME: THE OLD HAS GONE, THE NEW IS HERE!
(2 Corinthians 5:17).

Invite the Lord Jesus to replace the old in you with the new. Then, you will finally be able to live a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I desire for everything in me to become new. I desire a new nature, a new will, new desires, new beliefs, new emotions, and a new purpose with new deeds. I know that the only way to change is to be exchanged—the old for the new. Therefore, come and live Your Life in me, Lord Jesus, in the place of the OLD MAN…and make everything new in me.

Maintain an Awareness

Thus, the OLD MAN became the origin of sin that causes the effect of sin in each of us. The OLD MAN is where it all started and where it all ends…unless we are delivered from it.

The Two Counsels
October 06

Grace Abounds More

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BUT WHERE SIN INCREASED, GRACE INCREASED ALL THE MORE
(Romans 5:20).

I bless you to understand that God’s Grace covers your past…because it is MORE.  God’s Grace covers the present…because it is MORE.  God’s Grace covers your future…because it is MORE.

Believe that God’s Grace is MORE than any sinful action anyone has ever committed against you and more than any sinful deed you yourself have ever committed against yourself or anyone else.

FOR SIN SHALL NOT BE YOUR MASTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE
(Romans 6:14).

I bless you to know that, during your present life, right now, God’s Grace abounds MORE.  Do you wrestle with a sinful habit or defense pattern of distraction or destruction?  God’s Grace abounds MORE.  Do you often become angry, fearful, or jealous?  God’s Grace abounds MORE.  Do you struggle with depression, bitterness, anxiety, or guilt? God’s Grace abounds MORE. Do you have a problem with being prideful, boastful, and self-seeking? God’s Grace abounds MORE. Do you control, criticize, or complain? God’s Grace abounds MORE. Are you confused? God’s Grace abounds MORE.

Understand that sin does not stand alone.  It does not happen by itself.  It sits on a pillar of oppressing beliefs suggested by the father-of-lies: beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame.  And these beliefs cause anguish…misery…distress.  Not only does the father-of-lies suggest these beliefs to you, but he also offers the solutions to still the pain these beliefs cause—SIN.

Blessed Child, you need to know that you do not have to run to sinful defense habits of escape to dampen the abandonment in your heart, because there is enough Grace to cover the pain and beliefs of abandonment. You do not have to resort to bitterness to spite your enemy, because My Grace is available to you, even now. You do not have to blame others for the shame in your heart, because My Grace is yours, if you want it. But, in order to experience My Grace, you need to stop fighting the beliefs of abandonment, shame, rejection, and condemnation in your own strength and in your own way. Instead, you need to surrender these negative, destructive beliefs to Me, Jesus Christ, and ask Me to cover you with My Grace. You will find that My Grace is always sufficient.  It is always available.  It is always MORE.

What sin is there in your past, present, or possibly in your future for which you need the Grace of God to abound?

PRAYER: Lord God, I thank you for Your Grace that abounds MORE than my sinful actions and reactions. Thank you that Your Grace abounds MORE than my jealousy, my animosity, and my anxiety. Thank you that Your Grace abounds MORE than any accusatory belief in my heart that makes me feel ashamed. Thank you that Your Grace abounds MORE than my sinful actions of the past, present, and future. I place all of these under Your Grace…to abound for me.

Maintain an Awareness

If you would turn to the Desire of All Nations and receive the Love, Righteousness, and Purpose He has stored up for you in His Presence, you will be satisfied.

The Two Counsels
October 03

Persecuted, but Not Forsaken

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THE GOD OF THIS AGE HAS BLINDED THE MINDS OF UNBELIEVERS, SO THAT THEY CANNOT SEE THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF THE GLORY OF CHRIST, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD
(2 Corinthians 4:4).

Be aware that you have an enemy: the god of this age…the accuser of brethren…the father of lies. 

Be cautioned that the god of this age loves to darken your understanding, so that you would not recognize the Light of the message concerning Jesus Christ—that He offers Himself to you in times of need.

WE ARE HARD-PRESSED ON EVERY SIDE, YET NOT CRUSHED; WE ARE PERPLEXED, BUT NOT IN DESPAIR; PERSECUTED, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; STRUCK DOWN, BUT NOT DESTROYED
(2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Recognize the voice of the deceiver, the father-of-lies:

When you are hard-pressed, he will demand that you have been crushed.
When you are perplexed, he will declare that your circumstances are hopeless.
When you are persecuted, he will proclaim that you have been forsaken.
When you are struck down, he will claim that you have been destroyed.

Be encouraged that the Lord Jesus came to save you from the father-of-lies and his oppressing beliefs.  But you have a responsibility—to submit your perturbing perceptions to the Lord Jesus when you feel crushed, hopeless, forsaken, and destroyed, so He can tell you the Truth about yourself and your situation.

DO NOT OFFER ANY PART OF YOURSELF TO SIN AS AN INSTRUMENT OF WICKEDNESS, BUT RATHER OFFER YOURSELVES TO GOD AS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FROM DEATH TO LIFE; AND OFFER EVERY PART OF YOURSELF TO HIM AS AN INSTRUMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
(Romans 6:13).

I bless you to stop offering your mind to the father-of-lies to be used for his wickedness; but instead, offer your thoughts and reasoning to God as instruments of His Righteousness.

What makes you feel crushed, hopeless, forsaken, and destroyed, today? EMBRACE these feelings, EXPOSE your interpretations to the Lord Jesus, and ask Him to EXCHANGE them for His Truth, Hope, and Love.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I embrace the perturbing perceptions that cause me to feel crushed, hopeless, forsaken, and destroyed. I expose these perceptions to You. Please exchange these oppressing beliefs for Your Truth, Hope, and Love, so I may live by Your glorious Light and stand against the god of this age.

Maintain an Awareness

Temptations give us many opportunities to be trained in God’s Holiness.

The Two Counsels

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October 01

Treat the Person, NOT the Problem

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Carl Rogers wrote in his book, Becoming a Person: “I have found it of enormous value when I can permit myself to understand the other person. The way in which I have worded this statement may seem strange to you. Is it necessary to permit oneself to understand another? I think it is. Our first reaction to most of the statements which we hear from other people is an evaluation or judgment, rather than an understanding of it. When someone expresses some feeling, attitude or belief, our tendency is almost immediately to feel “that’s right,” or “that’s stupid,” “that’s abnormal,” “that’s unreasonable,” “that’s incorrect,” “that’s not nice.” Very rarely do we permit ourselves to understand precisely what the meaning of the statement is to the other person.”

This has become one of the most important tools of communication in my relationships: permitting myself to understand someone’s heart, instead of reacting to my own conclusions, instantly. Keeping my own interpretations out of the equation when I have a conversation with another person, I have learned to separate the facts (what really happened) from the conclusions (the person’s heart) and treat them as two separate transactions. What really happened? How does she feel about the incident? Why does she feel that way? What is the negative spiritual picture the father-of-lies painted in her mind? How can I help her to understand her own heart and see the Truth? Unless you care about someone’s heart, first, you will not be able to help her see the facts of the situation. Therefore, treat the PERSON, not the PROBLEM!

IF I HAVE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY AND CAN FATHOM ALL MYSTERIES AND ALL KNOWLEDGE, AND IF I HAVE A FAITH THAT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS, BUT DO NOT HAVE LOVE, I AM NOTHING
(1 Corinthians 13:2).

I love to apply this principle of separating the facts from the conclusions to my own heart, as well. What really happened? How do I feel about the incident? Why do I feel that way? Where is the root of my problem? What is the negative spiritual picture the father-of-lies painted in my mind? How can I receive Truth in my heart, so I may see the facts clearly? But, there are times when I am not able to understand, no matter how many questions I ask myself or anybody else. During these times, I go to the One who has infinite Understanding, the One who is able to separate the facts from the conclusions, the One who always cares about my heart.

GREAT IS OUR LORD, AND OF GREAT POWER: HIS UNDERSTANDING IS INFINITE
(Psalm 147:5).

Think back of a specific conversation you had with someone this past week. How might the outcome of the conversation have changed IF you had permitted yourself to UNDERSTAND your conversation partner’s heart, instead of reacting to your own conclusions, instantly? What would it take for you to become willing to separate the facts from the conclusions and UNDERSTAND others during your conversations, instead of using criticism, control, or complaint as your defense mechanisms, before you even know what is going on?

PRAYER: Most High, deposit Your Love in my heart, so I may permit myself to understand others and myself, instead of only reacting to the facts at face value.

Maintain an Awareness

We now have a moment-by-moment choice: to live our daily lives the way we always have, under the reign of the OLD MAN, or to allow the Lord Jesus to live His NEW MAN Life is us.

The Two Counsels
September 27

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

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THE LAMP OF THE BODY IS THE EYE. THEREFORE, WHEN YOUR EYE IS GOOD, YOUR WHOLE BODY ALSO IS FULL OF LIGHT. BUT WHEN YOUR EYE IS BAD, YOUR BODY ALSO IS FULL OF DARKNESS
(Luke 11:34).

A lie comes into our minds in the form of a picture—a spiritual picture. This picture is painted by the father-of-lies. After he has painted one of his pictures in our minds, he uses it to control us. He controls us, from the outside, through a spiritual mind picture, on the inside. The Bible calls this DECEPTION. When we look at these spiritual mind pictures, in detail, we find out that each one tells a story. These stories are false. They are made up of lies. If we live according to these spiritual pictures the father-of-lies painted in our minds, we become his slaves. We think the thoughts he wants us to think, do the deeds he wants us to do, and become the person he wants us to be.

LET THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH, AND THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART, BE ACCEPTABLE IN THY SIGHT, O LORD, MY STRENGTH, AND MY REDEEMER
(Psalm 19:14).

Beloved Child, I want you to know, today, that I, the Most High, DID something about these spiritual mind pictures and the false stories they tell. I sent you the TRUTH. His name is Jesus. Did you know that My Son, Jesus, can do something that nobody else can do…not even you? Jesus can walk into your mind picture and exchange it for a different one. The father-of-lies’ pictures will tell you that you are alone, that you do not have what it takes, that you are the bad guy, and that you are not wanted. If you invite Jesus, who is the Truth, into your mind picture, He will remove it and put His own Picture in its place. He will use this new Picture to tell you how HE feels about you. This new spiritual Picture will set you free. It will show you, in your own mind, that you are NOT alone, that you DO have what it takes, that you are NOT bad, and that you ARE wanted. But, in order for this exchange to take place, you need to invite the Truth into the spiritual mind pictures that the father-of-lies has painted, first.

FOR HIS EYES ARE ON THE WAYS OF MAN, AND HE SEES ALL HIS STEPS. THERE IS NO DARKNESS NOR SHADOW OF DEATH WHERE THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY MAY HIDE THEMSELVES
(Job 34:21-22).

What do you do with the spiritual mind pictures that live in your mind? Do you believe and obey the stories they tell? How does this affect your life? Would you like to change? Then, you need to start living according to different spiritual mind pictures, called the Truth.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite You into the spiritual pictures that live in my mind. Come and replace them with Your own Picture—the Truth.

Maintain an Awareness

God wants you to desire to be good, because He wants to fill YOU with His fruits of Righteousness.

The Two Counsels
September 22

Faith…Perseverance…Maturity

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CONSIDER IT PURE JOY, MY BROTHERS, WHENEVER YOU FACE TRIALS OF MANY KINDS, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH DEVELOPS PERSEVERANCE. PERSEVERANCE MUST FINISH ITS WORK SO THAT YOU MAY BE MATURE AND COMPLETE, NOT LACKING ANYTHING
(James 1:2-4).

Ponder the sequence of these words: Faith…Perseverance…Maturity.

Understand that to be mature means having undergone growth and development and having attained a final desired state.  However, before you can reach MATURITY, you need to PERSEVERE, and before you are able to PERSEVERE, you need to have FAITH. Thus, you need to follow a certain pattern in order to reach MATURITY.

THE SEED THAT FELL AMONG THORNS STANDS FOR THOSE WHO HEAR, BUT AS THEY GO ON THEIR WAY THEY ARE CHOKED BY LIFE’S WORRIES, RICHES AND PLEASURES, AND THEY DO NOT MATURE
(Luke 8:14).

Know that each trial that comes your way tests your FAITH. It gives you the opportunity to either PERSEVERE and become MATURE, or to be choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures…and die.

Each trial that comes your way gives you the opportunity to PERSEVERE—to persist in a state or undertaking, without yielding, in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement. When you have learned to persist in whatever God has asked you to do, even during opposition, you undergo growth and development. You mature.

NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN
(Hebrews 11:1).

But, in order to be able to persist in an undertaking, especially when you are being opposed and discouraged, you need FAITH. You need to know that Someone Invisible is watching over you and cares. Someone Invisible sees that you are discouraged and feel like giving up. Someone Invisible is on your side, despite all the opposition and counterinfluences.

This is FAITH, which leads to PERSEVERANCE, which leads to MATURITY.

Have you matured?  Have you undergone growth and development?  Or are you still the same person of hopelessness, powerlessness, and helplessness you were a year ago…five years ago…ten years ago? 

What are you going to do with the next five trials that come your way: are you going to have faith, persevere, and mature, or are you going to be choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures…and die?

PRAYER: Lord God, I desire to be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Work Your Faith and Perseverance in me, so I may reach maturity.

Maintain an Awareness

The defense mechanism of blaming has been with us since the beginning of time.

The Two Counsels

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