Author: Joshua Maynard

Consider the scriptures

#14 – Ephesians‬ ‭5‬‬:‭1‬-‭2

Ephesians‬ ‭5‬‬:‭1‬-‭2

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

“Followers” in the King James refers to being “imitators” of God. We were created in the image of God and are supposed to have a life that imitates God. This is sometimes at odds with our flesh in how we respond to the world around us.
When I am upset, my flesh wants to stay upset but God’s Spirit in me wants to be at peace.
My flesh cries out for retribution, but God’s Spirit in me cries out for forgiveness.
“As dear children” is saying that we are God’s “beloved” children. He esteems us highly and claims us as His own. We do not belong to this world or to Satan. We are God’s “beloved children”. We have both denied and have been ignorant of our true Heavenly Father, having been separated from Him in our minds by our sinful choices and a lack of faith.
“Imitation” has strong ethical ties in scripture. Imitating what is good should be above imitating what is evil. Imitation seems to be a concept completely foreign to the Hebrews of Bible times. The term seems to be used more by Paul in the New Testament than anywhere else in scripture.
Likely, the Hebrews didn’t see imitation the same way as the Greeks. They considered imitation to be related to something that is fake or a false representation of something authentic. Paul emphasizes the importance of imitating Christ.
Christ has loved us first and has given Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world once and for all. The scripture talks about this being a sweet smelling savor to God.
Incense and perfumes were an important part of culture in Bible times, just as they are today.
Sacrifices pleasing to God were said to be a sweet odor to Him, whereas unacceptable sacrifices were not.
Jesus being the perfect sacrifice once and for all for us is said to be a sweet-smelling odor to God.
Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ says, ”For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.“
‭‭Jesus mentions this scripture as well, stressing the importance of understanding what it means.
God desires for us to be merciful and loving towards one another more than any kind of offering or sacrifice we could give.
If we give money to the church, but treat people badly, our offering is meaningless.
If we claim to love God, and yet hate our fellow man, we fail to meet God’s standard.
Jesus was the sacrifice that we could not be.
Jesus was the offering that God could accept in our place.
We were never good enough and could never be good enough to be justified when compared with the righteousness and holiness of God.
How wonderful it is that Jesus has made us righteous, holy and justified in the eyes of the Father.

Consider the scriptures

#13 – Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭4

Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭4

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

David asked God that he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.
While on the surface, this could represent the literal tent of the Lord or the temple of the Lord, this seems to be representing the relationship between David and God.
“Desired” is meaning “to ask or inquire”. As a perfect verb in Hebrew, and it indicates a past tense. David inquired or asked God in the past.
He goes on to say that he will seek after this.
The word used for “seek” implies that he is seeking something that is concrete and solid.
He is seeking something that is established and definite. It can also imply the meaning of “requiring” something. As we read the scriptures after this, it seems as if David is saying that he is not only asking God for this, but that he requires it, almost as if it is representing a covenant he has with the Lord.
It says further down in this scripture that David wanted to “enquire in his temple.”
This “enquire” means to “investigate” such as one would investigate the symptoms of a illness to determine the extent of it or to investigate an animal for sacrifice to determine if it has any blemishes that would make it unsuitable.
David desired to be close to God and to be in relationship with Him. He would then seek after that desire and investigate every aspect of it.
A literal translation of the scripture that I have in my collection uses the word “inquire” instead of “enquire” as it is written in the King James Version. The meaning is slightly different, in that “enquire” can have a more general meaning, being a formal or informal request. Whereas “inquiry” is more specifically a formal request.
While I cannot say for sure which word is correctly used in this passage, the King James Version seems to indicate both being used.
To “seek” implies “enquire” in a general sense of investigation, while “inquire in His temple” seems more formal, as one would expect requests to be in the temple.
Does “enquire“ or “inquire” really require this kind of exposition? Probably not. I just thought it was interesting to mention it.
David inquired of the Lord in the temple.
We inquire of the Lord anywhere we find ourselves.
There can be no doubt that Jesus has made a better way for us. The Holy Spirit has made His temple in our born-again spirit and so we are never alone. God never wanted a temple made with hands. He wanted His temple to be made in our hearts.
This scripture is just one of several where we see David longing for the kind of relationship that many Christians today take for granted.
What we have through simply believing on Christ, David had sought after his whole life.
Today, I encourage you to think about what we have in God and how precious it is.

Consider the scriptures

#12 – Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭14

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭14

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you

We have heard that God doesn’t forgive those who have unforgiveness in their heart.
This scripture has been used to condemn many people. It has brought fear instead of faith.
I’ve heard it said that this is an Old Covenant way of praying. Implying that Jesus was under the Law of Moses. That just isn’t the case. Jesus fulfilled the law because Love fulfilled every point of the Law.
This scripture is supposed to be encouraging and uplifting.
God’s forgiveness of sins is not based on our ability or inability to forgive others.
If it were, Christ died in vain.
Think of the scripture in this light:
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, will not even more so your Heavenly Father forgive you?”
The scripture doesn’t translate this way, but it implies this meaning and so much more when we filter it through the view of Jesus’s example of God’s love for us.
Personally, I find it easier to forgive others than to forgive myself.
My own mistakes, shortcomings and sins are glaring in my face long after the wrongdoings of others have faded from my memory.
Does this mean that God won’t forgive me because I can’t forgive myself? Of course not!
But feeling forgiven and being forgiven are two totally different things.
When I compare myself to God’s righteousness, I find myself incomparably lacking and undeserving of God’s forgiveness. I don’t feel forgiven.
This doesn’t mean that I’m not forgiven. It just means that I don’t have a revelation of God’s forgiveness at that moment.
When I remind myself that I am a child of a loving Heavenly Father, forgiven, set free and delivered, I can find the strength to live with myself. It is then that I see myself the way God sees me. Righteous, and able to receive of God’s best.
If only we could walk in this perspective all of the time, just imagine how much peace we would have.
“The Lord’s Prayer” as it has been called, is all about fellowship with God and not about obtaining forgiveness. We engage with God in thankfulness and respect and receive what Christ already did for us over 2000 years ago once and for all time.
We are not seeking salvation in this prayer, but God’s direction and blessing with a newness of dedication to His plans, His purposes and His Kingdom.

Consider the scriptures

#11 – 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12

1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

God had “Agape” love and sent His only begotten Son to die for us.
Because of His love for us, we ought to also love one another. The word used for “one another” is unique to the New Testament and refers to a mutual exchange between others and us.
“Ought” may sound like a suggestion, but it actually refers to something we owe or are indebted to do.
This does not negate the fact that it is a choice we must make. Rather, it expresses the earnest requirement for us to do what is expected of us by God.
“No man hath seen God at any time.”
This is a sentence that seems out of place with the rest of the surrounding scriptures.
It is said that this is the writer’s attempt at reminding us that because no man has seen the invisible God, we demonstrate His love and make His existence apparent by loving those around us. We represent Christ as ambassadors, and we are His hands and feet.
“If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
“God dwelleth in us” is talking about God abiding in us and finishing the work in us.
His love being perfected in us is not about a process of perfection that we must attain by our efforts, but a statement of His one time forever perfection of His love in us when we are born again. He is the source of the perfection of love in us, because He dwells in us. If we love another, we show that God dwells in us.
If you don’t love other people, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t dwell in you, it just means that you have not come to the realization of His love being made perfect in you. As long as you try to love in your own strength, you aren’t letting His love work through you.
What the Law could not do to make us perfect, Christ has done for us.
His perfection brings perfect love in us, not by anything we can do to perfect ourselves or perfect our love for others.
The more we realize that our love for others is sourced and rooted in what He has done in us and through us, the less it becomes about something we must struggle to receive.
Remind yourself:
God’s love is made perfect in me.
I love because I am loved.
Jesus is God’s love in me.

Consider the scriptures

#10 – 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬-‭21

1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬-‭21

We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

As a father and a brother, I don’t often examine the dynamic about who loved each other first, but there is wisdom in these scriptures that we should not ignore.
I loved my children before they could love me.
Now that my children are older, they love me because I loved them first.
God loved us before we were mature enough to love Him. He loved us first. We cannot love God first, but we can acknowledge His love for us and love both Him and others.
This entire Bible chapter talks about love.
It says that we cannot say we love God if we don’t also love our brother.
Sometimes we struggle loving strangers and we also struggle loving those who hurt us.
Yet, if we don’t love them, how can we claim to love God?
If we don’t know God, can we truly love Him?
Job had heard of God but didn’t know God and believed things about God that weren’t true.
“Brother” as it is used here means a fellow-Christian or neighbor, not just our blood relatives. Scholars seem to recognize that the term changed over time and that in Jesus’ time the meaning was ambiguous.
We see that Jesus was almost redefining the term when he used it. Those that do the Father’s will are His “brothers”.
Mark 3:32–35 says, “And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”

“And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
The word “Loveth” here is “Agape” love in the Greek. In the Old Testament, “Agape” is used to represent the kind of love that God has for Israel and a kind of love that they should reciprocate. In the New Testament, it is used to denote a kind of love that does not require a comparable response such as the love that God had for man, to send His Son to die for us.
God does not require us to die for Him.
Notice that earlier in the scripture, it says that if you say you love God but hate your brother, you are a liar. Now it is saying that if you love God, you should also love your brother.
So which is it?
The word “hateth” here in the Greek Subjective mood is a possibility, not a certainty. It implies the hypothetical condition of hating or showing hate towards your brother. Whereas the love towards God in this scripture is stated as being a fact.
So if we look at the last part of the scripture again in that light, we can understand how people who genuinely love God have a choice to make about fulfilling the commandment to love their brother as well, lest they make themselves into a liar.

Consider the scriptures

#9 – John‬ ‭5‬‬:‭24‬

John‬ ‭5‬‬:‭24‬

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

What does “verily, verily” mean?
While translated often as “Truly, truly”, it also means “amen”.
While customary to use “amen” to affirm other’s prayers at the close, Jesus used the term and used it emphatically at the beginning of His statements. He wanted people to pay attention to His words. He affirmed His own statements as being True because He bore witness that His words came from His Heavenly Father.
Hebrews 6:13 says, “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,”
Jesus can affirm His own statements with a double-Amen because he can affirm them by no greater authority than Himself. He and the Father are one.
John 12:49 says. “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”
Jesus goes on to say in John‬ ‭5‬‬:‭24‬, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
The word condemnation here is the Greek word “krisis” meaning judgement or decision. How fitting that we get the English word “crisis” from this word. Truly coming to Jesus and either accepting or rejecting His words is a crisis moment. “Crisis” in English has been used to mean “the turning point of a disease when an important change takes place, indicating either recovery or death.” Sin is the disease and Jesus is literally saying this is where you decide to continue into death or to change to follow after life.
The interlinear Bible translates the scripture to “the one” and “the word” in regard to “heareth my word”, and “the one” again in regard to “him that sent me”.
God is the one source of all life and light and Jesus is the Word made flesh. These two concepts are inseparable here and Jesus is stating emphatically that if you believe His words then you are believing the Words of His Father and that He and the Father are one.
The word “passed” here is to move from one place to another or to make a transition or change. It is a “process” of moving or changing. Transitions take time. So we make the decision to believe the words that Jesus is saying and believe in the Father who sent Him and then we transition into life. That isn’t to say that we don’t receive everlasting life when we believe on Jesus, but this Christian Walk is a process of moving into life from death.
It is interesting that Jesus says that we must believe in the one who sent Him. He is speaking to the Jews here and is directly challenging their belief in His Father. They believed they had been following the God of Abraham, but they had actually fallen away, creating for themselves a God in line with their vain rituals and laws that was bereft of love, grace and mercy.
We were originally created in the image of God.
Are we being shaped in the image of our loving Heavenly Father, or do we follow after a God that we have made after “our image”?

Consider the scriptures

#8 – Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

While this whole chapter in the book of Romans is packed full of information on how we should conduct ourselves as Christians, this scripture is almost a precursor to all of the things mentioned afterwards.
Without this understanding, without putting this into practice, we cannot fulfill the commission of Christ and certainly not the things mentioned in the verses that follow.
“Be not conformed”
“Conformed” is to mold yourself after someone or something else. “Fashioning” is another term used for the word. It makes me wonder if doing what is “fashionable” is also implied here.
Sometimes we conform ourselves not just to general ways of thinking or acting, but sometimes to very specific things that are currently in “fashion” within our culture.
How many “fads” do we follow after that so quickly fade away leaving us back in the same state as before?
Here, an implication is made to not conform ourselves to the world system or the world’s pattern. If you read through the rest of the chapter, it identifies what the opposite of the world’s pattern looks like.
If we conform to the world, we are making ourselves or rather, being made identical to the world.
“be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”
We are to be transformed rather than conformed. Being transformed, we become something different from the inside out.
We become different than the world system.
We are not in agreement or harmony with the world’s pattern.
Ephesians 4:23 talks about being renewed in the spirit of your mind. “Spirit” being the soul of your being which is your mind, will, emotions.
Ephesians 4:24 says we “put on” the new man. This statement literally can mean to be as if we put on clothes. Other places in scripture it can denote someone else putting on or taking off your clothes. I think that is important to note, because we can sometimes allow others to take off what we have put on and unclothe what we have already clothed after Godliness.
This “putting on” is something we should do and must do ourselves, or we risk conforming ourselves to another person’s way of thinking.
The media and the consumer engine is always at work trying to convince us to put on what they claim to be the truth. I’ve watched people over the years follow after what “this person” said, or what “that article” said or what “these people” were doing. If it didn’t kill them, it most certainly made their lives miserable trying to conform to all of these other things.
Romans 13:14 tells us to “put on Christ”. Galatians 3:27 says that having been baptized into Christ we have “put on” Christ.
I do not find these two scriptures in contradiction to one another.
I believe that we have “put on” Christ, just as we are saved when we believed, but there is also this concept of continuing to “put on/wear” the clothes we are clothed with in Christ. The world seeks to strip us of who we are in Christ and it is the knowledge of Christ and who we are in Him that renews our mind and keeps us clothed in Him. This “putting on” of Christ is a daily decision we must make, lest we fall prey to seeing ourselves conform to the world.
“that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The word “prove” here is a term used to denote the testing of metals, coinage or materials of the time to make sure they were genuine. It also can mean to test the words of other people or the words of the heart by the Lord.
In proving materials were genuine, the raw material would be refined and that which was not useful would be removed during the process, leaving only the pure behind.
It is important to note that this proving was for the purpose of drawing out the purity and the best in the material. Likewise, our proving is only to draw out the best in us and the best that God has for us.
In the renewing of our minds by putting our focus on God, we prepare ourselves to hear from God and to know His will for our lives.
I’ve struggled sometimes to know if I am really hearing from God, but after prayer, if I focus on Him, I will have a peace about what choice to make. If not a complete peace, sometimes a better peace with one decision over the other.
Trust God to reveal His will to you and then trust yourself to hear it. Sometimes you have to step out in faith and only after that will you see that God led you.

Consider the scriptures

#7 – Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭20

Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭20

A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; And with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

I examined Proverbs 18:21 in my last study and I encourage you to read that before reading this study if possible.
While this scripture comes before that scripture in the Bible, I believe these two scriptures are joined together and each can teach us valuable lessons about the importance of controlling and filtering the words we say.
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
The word “belly” here can mean “stomach” or “lower abdomen” and less commonly, it can mean the innermost parts of a person.
It also means “uterus” or “womb”.
Consider that our words bring to birth life or death in us at the core of our being.
James‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
The things that are conceived inside of us can bring forth sin and then eventually death in the end.
While lust is conceived in the mind, I believe that if the word “belly” here is referring to a uterus or womb, it means that our words also can conceive things within us that bring forth sin and death or life.
The word “satisfied” here means having sufficient supply, not abundance, but just enough to be full.
The two parts of this scripture may sound like it is saying the same thing twice with different wording, but it is actually expressing two different thoughts.
“A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth”
The word “fruit” here is feminine and yet it is referring to a masculine belly.
Men would sometimes use the term “belly” to say that children came from them.
“Fruit” here can mean the result of something or the consequence of something, but it can also refer to children.
So, there is this concept of our words birthing either good or bad within us in the first part of this scripture.
‭‭”And with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.”
Increase here can be referring to the gain or yield from the grain on the threshing floor or the wine of the winepress.
Metaphorically, “produce” here can mean that a man must live by his words either good or bad and the results they bring.
If gain comes from gainful work, then the fruit received is good and profitable, but the gain can also refer to the profit of the wicked which leads to sin.
This dynamic of birthing good and bad and either receiving a blessing by it, such as children are, or receiving the offspring of sin is something for us to consider.
Our words have consequences, so let us all consider what we say carefully and prayerfully each day.

Consider the scriptures

#6 – Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

This scripture reminds us how powerful our words are. Our words shape the way that we think and act. By the power of our words, we either speak life or death.
Our words may seem innocent, but as we discuss things in our day to day lives, what meaning do our words have? What emotions drive those words? I’m reminded of this when my kids are disobedient. Am I encouraging them to change their behavior in a positive way with my words or am I simply venting my frustration and discouraging them?
In my day-to-day work, are the words I speak positive or negative? Have I become accustomed to pointing out possible negative outcomes so often that I am considered a negative person by coworkers?
When we look at the translation of this scripture in Hebrew, the word “power” is translated as “hand”. Specifically, it can mean a literal hand. It can also refer to putting something into the hand or out of the hand or putting something under someone else’s authority or being delivered from the control of another.
With our words, we are giving ourselves either over to fear or faith. We are giving ourselves under the control of good or evil. We are speaking deliverance or destruction.
Our words may only last what appears to be an insignificant moment when compared to the millions of moments we live, but our words exist long after they are spoken. Our words continue on in the minds of others and have a strong influence on our own ways of thinking and believing as well.
It is hard to think of these consequences and control our tongue in the heat of the moment.
We have to spend time with God and prepare our hearts so that the reactions that drive our words are positive even in the darkest of circumstances. We train and retrain ourselves as we renew our minds in time spent focused on God.
The second part of this scripture says, “they that love it will eat the fruit thereof.”
Here, “eat” means exactly what is says, to “consume”. We consume what we say and is has an effect on both us and everything around us.
This has sometimes been interpreted to mean that if you love to talk, you will eat your words.
We will consume the fruit; the results produced by our words, both edifying and idle and we either take in life or we take in death.
There isn’t any grey area here.
Every word is categorized into either life or death. Likewise, we cannot dabble in darkness while proclaiming to be in the light and expect good results. Let us make sure that we guard our hearts first by spending time with God and then we will be better prepared to speak life in our day-to-day conversations.

Consider the scriptures

#5 – Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬

Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬

“But you, Lord, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high.”

This is a wonderful statement David made in his time of trouble.
Psalms chapter 3’s title is “A Psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.
Amnon, also a son of David had raped his own sister and then cast her away afterwards. Absalom was furious about this and so was David, but David didn’t do anything about it. If the stories were chronological, this would have occurred after David had fallen for Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to die in battle by sending him to the front lines.
What was David to do? Could he punish Amnon for sexual immorality, when David’s own sexual immorality had led to the arranged killing of Uriah?
How many lives did David’s sin destroy?
Could he choose to do nothing and keep this issue within the family and silently sweep it under the rug? David did choose to stay silent.
He chose not to render a punishment on Amnon.
Absalom held an event and invited Amnon. Absalom’s servants killed Amnon and David’s other sons fled.
In 2 Samuel, we read that David mourned for his son every day. Yet it was Absalom he mourned for, not Amnon.
You see, David didn’t kill Amnon, but after time had passed, he was comforted that Amnon was gone.
David wouldn’t kill his own son, but eventually was consoled that someone else had rendered the justice that he would not or could not have done.
It was Absalom that David longed to reconcile with.
David sent Joab to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem. After a few years, Absalom started rallying the people behind him and lied to them saying that the King would not see them, and they would not get justice.
This back story brings us to Psalm 3:4 where David is running from Absalom and his followers.
David writes, “my glory”. The word “glory” here can refer to brilliant light or splendor. Yet let us not forget that David is saying “my glory”; “my brilliant light”; “my honor”; “my respect”; “my reputation”; “my renown”; “my purity”.
This is the same David that prayed “create in me a clean heart”. David knew he had no purity aside from whatever God placed in him.
When his own son was trying to overthrow him and take the throne and the kingdom, David was reminding himself that his worth was found in what God thinks about him and not what man thinks about him.
“You keep my head high” means that God had shown David honor by giving him victory over his enemies.
David could hold his head high because he had no shame or disgrace.
If David had shame or disgrace over not dealing justice for the sins of Amnon, that shame was now gone.
He could have his head raised up by God.
It is important to note that David did not want his enemies dead, and he wanted to reconcile with Absalom. He loved Absalom and all of his children, no matter what they did.
David was on the run for his life. He had essentially arranged to bring Absalom back to live in Jerusalem with the kindest of intentions and yet Absalom used the time to plot against him.
I won’t detail the ending to this story, but Absalom died rather horribly and not by David’s order.
Despite all that happened, David still loved his enemies, even to a fault perhaps.
I think this is an early example of how Christ loves the sinner and how much our Heavenly Father loves all of His children.

Consider the scriptures

#4 – John‬ ‭10‬:‭7‬-‭9

John‬ ‭10‬:‭7‬-‭9 NASB

“So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

This parable has always fascinated me. There is so much to unpack from these scriptures and so much to talk about.
The listeners didn’t understand the parable before this that started in John 10:1, so Jesus gave them another parable.
“Truly truly” begins many of Christ’s sayings. Emphatically, He wants you to believe what He is saying and pay close attention.
“I am the door of the sheep.” Jesus is the gate or the entrance. “Sheep” refers to “little sheep”.
“All who came before me are thieves and robbers”. On the surface, these words appear interchangeable in English, but the word robbers here in Greek could also be interpreted as “booty”, or valuable stolen goods which are taken by the thief.
The sheep did not listen to them.
This implies that the sheep needed to listen to another voice than the shepherd in order for the thieves to be able to steal from them.
“Did not listen” can also be interpreted to mean that they refrained from hearing; could not hear. Indeed, in scriptures prior, Jesus explains that the sheep know the shepherd’s voice and do not know the voice of strangers.
They run away from the stranger.
“if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
“Go in and out” implies the freedom to enter and also the freedom to exit.
It also means entering in to rest and going out to spread or reach the world.
Finding “pasture” is a concept that relates closely to the theme of this parable involving sheep, the shepherd and the gate, but there is more to this word.
Pasture also can mean “that which is assigned”, law, laws or principles.
If we are entering through Christ, who is our gate, into laws and principles that He has assigned for us, then we can infer that the thieves who came before Christ, came bearing another law.
They came to entice us somewhere else where we did not have freedom and to put us under a set of principles that would steal from us.
Many Christians know the scripture that comes after verse 9.
John 10:10 tells us that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Finding pasture through Jesus is resting in the law of love and then going out to spread the good News to others. We know our Shepherd’s voice.
We cannot and must not listen to the voice of those who seek to take away our freedom in Christ and allow the thief to steal, kill and destroy what God has given us.

Consider the scriptures

#3 – Galatians‬ ‭2‬‬:‭20‬

Galatians‬ ‭2‬‬:‭20‬ ‭NASB

Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

We’ve all heard this scripture probably in one form or another.
“We live by faith in the Son of God” in the Greek is “in” or “by”, so we live because of our faith in the Son of God, and we live by the means of that faith.
His faith, not ours. We only have faith because His faith has been given to us. We cannot boast in our own faith.
Faith had to come to us first by the hearing of the Gospel.
Jesus loved us and have Himself up for us.
“Loved” here more accurately means that we are His “beloved”.
“Giving Himself up for us” also means to turn Himself over, surrender, or taken into custody.
Think about what that means.
Jesus was arrested, but he gave Himself over to be taken into custody.
Then it says, “He gave Himself up for me.”
In the Greek this actually means on behalf of me or for the sake of me.
He did these things because He loves us so much. We are His beloved.
In His death on the cross it is as if we died with Him, and by His faith, we are given life to live each day.

Consider the scriptures

#2 – Romans 1:16–17

Romans 1:16–17 (NASB 95)

16 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. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Several Bible translations have this verse saying the righteousness of God is revealed “from faith TO faith”. What does that really mean?
I like the ESV version which says, “from faith FOR faith”.
This is why having several Bible versions available can be helpful to understanding scripture.
But what does “from faith FOR faith” mean?
FROM, meaning “derived”, or “out of” among other things.
The first “faith” in this sentence in Greek is a Genitive Noun. This denotes that this “faith” has ownership. It is possessed by someone. In this case, God is the source of this faith.
Now we turn to the second “faith” in this sentence.
“FOR faith”. FOR means “into”, a point that has been reached or entered, or the “result.”
This is an Accusative Noun in Greek showing action or that the noun is being acted upon.
To paraphrase these scriptures with this understanding, “the Gospel is the power of God for salvation that reveals righteousness out of God’s faith into a resulting faith that is actively growing in us.”
Then the scripture goes on to say, “as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.”
The word faith here is also Genitive showing ownership. One might assume that we are now the owners of this faith, but we do not live by our faith. We live by the faith of the Son of God.
There is this dynamic that we need to actively renew our faith in God by the power of His own faith that is imparted to us when we hear the Good News of the Gospel.
This is not a one-time event, but something that we must continue in, lest we find our faith shipwrecked or gone.
We don’t need to be saved again, and we are already made righteous, but by hearing the Good News of the Gospel, it gives us the power to live by His faith.
Continue in God’s truth to have overcoming power.

Consider the scriptures

#1 – 1 Peter 5:8-9

1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ KJV

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world.”

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world.” – ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬
1 Peter 5:8 is often quoted by preachers and teachers, but rarely have I ever heard verse 9 included.
They want you to be aware that the devil is always on the prowl looking for someone to devour but they don’t give you the next verse which is a key to overcoming.
It’s saying to be firm in your faith.
How can we be firm in our faith?
1 Peter 5:8 and 5:9 isn’t where this lesson begins.
Look at 1 Peter 5:6-7.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬
Being humble before God is not some outward act of humbleness for all men to see. It isn’t even about serving God.
It is you acknowledging that you can do nothing apart from Him and recognizing that you can be free of worry and anxiety because you are assured that Jesus cares about you.
We can do nothing without Jesus, but we are never without Jesus because He is always with us.
We have the fullness of God’s Spirit in us.
Being sober in spirit means being sober of mind. While sober in cultural context could mean to abstain from drinking wine, this is about having a peace in your mind that stabilizes your mind from cares, worries and anxieties.
You can have a firmness of faith to resist the devil when you acknowledge the source of your faith is the Son of God Himself. We live by His faith.

30 Days of Truth

Day 1 – no condemnation

Romans 8:1-2 KJV

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

There is NOW no Condemnation!

RIGHT NOW, in your life, people may condemn you. They may disagree with your decisions; they may take offense with you; they may condemn you because you believe differently than them; they may condemn you because you act differently than them; they may condemn you just because they are cowards and bullies but know this: GOD does not condemn you!

You might ask, “Doesn’t it say there is NOW no condemnation? What about in the future, or even after death?”

You’re covered.

John 5:24 KJV

[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

You therefore NOW have no condemnation, and you shall not COME INTO condemnation in the future!

This obviously only applies to those who are IN CHRIST.

So how do you know you are IN CRIST? Read John 5:24 again.

Believe it, receive it and you are IN CHRIST.

Now stop listening to and believing the condemning words of the haters around you and start believing what God says about you.

30 Days of Truth

Day 2 – god is not the accuser

1 John 3:20-21 KJV

[20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. [21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

God knows that our heart/soul/mind will condemn us, but what God believes about us is greater than what we believe about ourselves.

When we condemn ourselves, we don’t have confidence towards God.

God ALWAYS has confidence in us and towards us. His confidence in us never changes and He always believes the best about us and who we are in Him.

Unfortunately, we don’t always have that same confidence in ourselves, and that has a direct effect on our confidence (faith) towards God.

Here we come to the root of an issue: If you don’t believe in yourself, and who you are in Christ, then you can’t have full confidence in the hope of Christ either; specifically, you don’t have confidence in what God says about you.

How do you put a stop to self-condemnation?

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV

[4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Your imagination can be a powerful force for good in your life, but when it creates condemnation for yourself, it’s time to cast it down, and bring those thoughts into the obedience of Christ.

Your words are powerful and when you use them to speak against condemning thoughts, your heart will respond. Trying to merely “think good thoughts” to stop condemning thoughts doesn’t work.

You must use your words to combat these imaginations that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God, who you are in Him, and how God believes about you!

Don’t let yourself be condemned, because God isn’t condemning you for anything!

Satan is the accuser, not God!

30 Days of Truth

Day 3 – free from the law

Romans 10:3-4 KJV

[3] For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. [4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

So many Christians today that preach grace to be saved, also tend to try and establish their own righteousness by preaching law to “stay” saved.

“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes”. We find two issues here: 1. They obviously don’t believe they are righteous according to the grace of God, or believe wholly on Jesus to save them. (His blood must not be good enough, compared with their sin.)

2. Preaching law doesn’t control sin. It directly causes more sin to manifest itself!

1 Corinthians 15:56 KJV

[56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

When you believe on Jesus, and believe that He makes you righteous, you stop trying to make yourself righteous enough to earn His love, earn His gifts, earn His good will toward you.

Do you believe today in Jesus?

Do you truly believe He makes you righteous and free from sin?

Then you are also free from the law.

Freedom from the law isn’t the freedom to live any way you please with no consequences.

Freedom from the law is being obedient to the law of the spirit which is life, and that law IS LOVE!

Love yourself, love on others, and most importantly, receive God’s love for you!

30 Days of Truth

Day 4 – we are one with him

Ephesians 2:5-6 KJV

[5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) [6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

For the born again believer in Christ, we exist in our temporal mortal bodies, while our spirit is connected at all times to God in Heaven.

We are one with Him.

It seems to follow logic that if we are one with God, our character and actions should always be aligned with God’s character and actions.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The issue is in our soul/mind.

Over the course of our lives, we have built up bricks of unbelief, cinder blocks of lies, and sandbags of excuses, lest any truth of God’s Word try to escape from our spirit and manifest in our flesh.

We are exceedingly dedicated to trying to live out our Christian existence while simultaneously being dedicated to blocking what God wants to do in us and through us.

Despite all that I’ve just said, we must realize that from God’s perspective, it is finished.

Our perspective is limited to our knowledge of time and the passage of time, but God is timeless and exists beyond the limitations of our understanding.

From God’s perspective, we are ALREADY seated with Christ in heavenly places, and we will indeed BE seated with Him when our mortal bodies pass away.

This connection to the Almighty should encourage us and empower us to overcome.

No longer are we struggling to reach God; to get into God’s presence; to call down the Holy Spirit; to pray enough to move God into action.

We are connected to Him, and He to us.

There is nothing that we cannot do through Him, and nothing that He shouldn’t be able to do through us.

If you would just believe that right now, you are seated with Christ in heavenly places, how would it change your outlook on life?

How would it affect your faith?

This is the first step in renewing your mind, and not merely reading some random passages in your daily Bible study but realizing that you are connected to God all the time.

As we renew our mind daily, these walls we’ve built begin to fall. One by one, they come down, and faith opens the door of our soul to allow our spirit to flow out. Our spirit begins to change our character and our behavior to produce Christ-like fruit, and no longer are we bound by lies, excuses and unbelief.

30 Days of Truth

Day 5 – we are blessed

Ephesians 1:3 KJV

[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Many Christians believe that this and other similar scriptures mean that we are blessed with every blessing written in the Bible, or that we are blessed with anything we could want in this world.

As good as that may sound, it isn’t the truth.

Fortunately, the truth is better than we can possibly imagine.

This scripture is a wonderful statement about our relationship with God.

Some who preach a prosperity-for-everyone message would disagree that we are not blessed to receive the best that this world offers us.

Make no mistake, I believe that God always wants the best things for us.

Yet, the best blessings are not those that this world offers, but those that God has already given us through Christ Jesus.

Spirit is spirit and Flesh is flesh.

When the scripture says we are blessed with all spiritual blessings, stop adding to it with things that it doesn’t say. We are not promised in this scripture to be blessed with a big-screen TV, blessed to win the lottery, blessed to get a Ferrari or blessed to get anything material, financial or anything else that is not spiritual.

I’m not saying that you cannot work hard and obtain material wealth or that God doesn’t prosper us.

I’m saying that God doesn’t promise material wealth in this scripture.

You cannot base a belief or a set of beliefs on a scripture that is taken out of context and expect God to honor your ignorance of His Word.

Now that I’ve talked about what we aren’t promised, what are some of the spiritual blessings that we ARE blessed with?

We are God’s children and have been adopted/grafted into the family of God.

We have been redeemed and are born again in the spiritual image of Christ.

Our sins and the sins of the world were dealt with once and for all at the cross.

We have received the down payment of our eternal inheritance which is the Holy Spirit.

We have been given the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

We have authority through the name of Jesus over all the power of Satan and his demons.

We have been promised an eternal salvation and everlasting life that begins as soon as we believe.

Material wealth is comfortable and nice, but it passes away.

What we have been promised and already blessed with will last forever.

While you can’t take spiritual blessings to the bank, you can surely bank on them.

God said it, and all you have to do is believe it and receive it.

30 Days of Truth

Day 6 – he lives so we live

Romans 10:9 KJV

[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Most Christians know this scripture, even if they don’t know the Book, Chapter or Verse reference that contains it.

Why is this belief essential to our new birth in Christ?

After all, before Christ died, some people were counted as being “saved”, but they could not become born again until after Christ sent the Holy Spirit.

These people did not need to believe that Christ would be raised from the dead in order to be saved, nor could they. They even found it difficult to believe that He would even allow Himself to die.

Are we held to a higher standard of belief than even the Apostles that witnessed these miraculous events firsthand?

I don’t believe that we are held to a higher standard of belief.

However, I do believe that the writer of Romans (and Hebrews, for that matter) wanted to impart a critical aspect of understanding the Object of our faith, so that our joy could be “made full”.

Without believing that God could raise His own Son from the dead, we are left believing in a God that left Jesus in the grave.

If we can’t believe that Christ rose from the dead, how can we believe in what He preached?

How can we have faith to believe in healing, or that Christ ever raised anyone else from the dead?

How can we even believe in His sinless life or His virgin birth?

When Christ died, our sin died with Him. It’s gone. It is forgiven and forgotten.

Because He lives, we can live eternally as well. We can be assured that He is not rotting in the grave like everyone else, but alive and giving life eternal to all that call upon Him.

The same God that raised Him from the dead, has given us the same power inside our born-again spirits.

If God never raised Christ up from the dead, then we have no power, no hope and no promise of eternal life.

I believe that He raised Christ from the dead. I choose to believe in our God of miracles.

Do you believe?

30 Days of Truth

Day 7 – sin is not counted

1 John 3:4 KJV

[4] Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Romans 5:13 KJV

[13] (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Sin is the transgression of the Law.

Where there is no Law, there is no imputing of sin.

We have no law, except for whatever law we make for ourselves that rejects faith in Christ.

People often confuse their individual sinful actions and behaviors with rejecting God, but they are two distinctly different things.

Jesus took care of all our individual sins at the cross, and they are both forgiven and forgotten.

Rejecting God isn’t a sin, it is just a seriously poor choice.

If our sins are taken care of, why do we continue to sin? Is it even considered “sin” if we aren’t under the law?

Paul talked about elsewhere in Romans that our flesh wars against our born-again spirit, and that sinful actions persist in the flesh, even though we delight in doing what is Godly and right in our spirit. This was not the image of a man that was perfect and holy in action, but a man that consistently failed to live up to the righteousness that longed to be expressed in him.

As long as we live, we will fail to be perfect.

Just because we are not under the law, doesn’t mean that transgressing the law is no longer considered sinful. Sin is anything that is not of faith. This means that our faith should always be in Christ and His once-for-all sacrifice for sin, no matter how we mess up. When we condemn ourselves and put guilt on ourselves, we are not placing our faith in Christ. Our flesh is not Holy and won’t be as long as we are on Earth. The sanctification of our flesh is a progressive experience.

The important thing to remember about anything that we call “sin”, is that God already forgave it and forgot it before we ever committed it.

Our individual sins are not counted against us.

God only asks that we accept the free gift of salvation through Christ Jesus, and He will gladly give us of His own Spirit to strengthen our resolve against the sinful tendencies within our flesh.

30 Days of Truth

Day 8 – relationship over ministry

If we study the Word, there is nothing that tells us that all believers were called to preach, or minister, or build congregations, or proselyte or anything but to let God love them and love others through them.

The modern church has assumed that the “great commission” applies to all of us, and yet evangelism has failed to do what it claims to do.

Christians are more powerless than ever, rotting in fruitless religious organizations that suck their emotions, spirits and finances dry.

People are “guilted” into ministry service that only serves their self-serving leadership.

One of best things you can do, as either a new or seasoned believer on Christ, is to seek God for His plan for your life.

People may try to tell you God’s plan for your life, but they can’t.

If they say that they can, they are a liar.

You aren’t being “tested” by God to give your “testimony” later.

There are people serving in ministry that have no business being in ministry.

There are self-proclaimed “prophets of God” that are reinforcing tired religious traditions and pronouncing negative, damaging curses upon people.

2 Peter 1:10 KJV

[10] Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Service in ministry is good, if that is your calling. Be sure of your calling!

Relationship with God is all He really wants.

30 Days of Truth

Day 9 – be not sin-conscious

Hebrews 10:1-3 KJV

[1] For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. [2] For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. [3] But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

This is a long portion of scripture to start off this article, but I believe it is critically important to discuss.

Every year, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle or Temple to make the sacrifice for sins. But the sacrifice made every year could never take away sins. On the contrary, it REMINDED people of their sins.

Notice that the sacrifice doesn’t remind God about their sins, it is speaking about their conscience of their sins.

The remembrance of sins is one of the most harmful things that we Christian’s deal with today.

Do you see from these scriptures that once sin was purged and done away with by the sacrifice of Christ, that we should have had no more conscience concerning our sins?

God has already said that under the New Covenant that He would remember our sins and iniquities no more!!

The reason we deal with the remembrance of our sins is because both people and our own conscience constantly remind us of what we have done wrong.

People cannot easily forget, but God CAN forget, and He DOES forget.

He FORGIVES and he FORGETS!

We cannot control how other people remind us of our sins and mistakes, but because Christ’s righteous nature lives inside our born-again spirit, we can control our own conscience.

In order to have of conscience of sins, we must not remind ourselves of our mistakes but look towards God who has already forgiven and forgotten them.

We must renew our mind daily and remind ourselves of the righteousness we are by Christ Jesus! Not as a vain ritual, but because we deserve to be uplifted, encouraged and strengthened by God’s Word about us!

If your conscience reminds you of the sins, you’ve committed and condemns you, speak against it with your words!

Your words are powerful, and when you tell your conscience what God has done on your behalf in Christ Jesus and remind yourself of what Christ has done in your spirit, your conscience will quiet down and gradually fall in line with truth.

Words can overcome thought, and truth can overcome wrong thinking.

So, faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

30 Days of Truth

Day 10 – counselor not prosecutor

Hebrews 8:12 KJV

[12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Under the New Covenant, God has chosen to forget our sins and iniquities and not count them against us. All of them!

It is as if they haven’t happened and are not happening now and will not happen, ever!

If we look at this scripture more closely, we find that it covers everything. “Sins” are evil actions that violate divine law, and “iniquities” are evil behavioral patterns and thoughts.

Thoughts and actions are all covered by the sacrifice of Christ.

Matthew 5:28 KJV

[28] But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Jesus left no room for our boasting in keeping the law.

It doesn’t matter if we never actually act on our thoughts.

From God’s perspective, sins are not mere actions that we perform in the flesh but can also include iniquities of the heart that are acted upon in the realm of our spirit.

This is the depths of what man has been saved from; Not only our sinful acts, but our sinful nature and thoughts, including freedom from the guilt and condemnation associated with them.

We have never been capable of keeping the law in our actions, much less keeping it in the inner thoughts of our hearts.

Evil thoughts and negative emotions sometimes consume us, and even when they don’t, we can be filled with guilt and condemnation for even having those kinds of thoughts in the first place.

There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus!

Christ has sent us the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and help us to overcome wrong thoughts and actions that are not Godly.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t condemn us, convict us or punish us when we sin. He doesn’t take away things from us, put sickness on us or curse us.

He is our counselor, not a prosecutor!

He doesn’t take or salvation from us or fail to fellowship with us.

He gently reminds us of our righteousness by Christ Jesus.

He corrects our wrong thinking through the Word of God as we allow Him to.

Anything negative that is attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit is contrary to what the Bible says. He convicts the world of the sin of not believing on Jesus, but He convicts believers of their righteousness through faith in Jesus.

The next time you entertain an evil thought, place your trust in Christ, place your thoughts on His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to change your thinking patterns, and your actions will change with them.

30 Days of Truth

Day 11 – god wants you well

Matthew 8:16-17 KJV

[16] When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: [17] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Jesus made the way for our physical healing, even before He went to the whipping post or the cross.

God’s willingness to heal was actually pre-New Covenant!

Jesus healed everyone that came to Him!

Jesus healed sinners!

No one was righteous.

It is commonly believed that Jesus healed these people so that they would spread the news of Him and the Kingdom of God, but there is no evidence of such a motive.

In fact, Jesus specifically told some of the people that He healed NOT to talk about their healing with others.

Some people today believe that God allows sickness to come upon us so that we can learn to have faith under pressure. Yet Jesus never put sickness on anyone.

Some today believe that God allows people to be sick so that when they are healed, they will have a testimony to preach about.

Again, Jesus never told anyone that their healing was for a testimony.

Why do we have to try and give sickness a divine purpose?

Why do we have to try and give divine healing an ulterior motive?

Why do we have to misinterpret Jesus and His actions and create doctrines that are untrue?

Can we not just accept that God wants us healed?

Can we not just believe that God would never make us sick or use sickness?

God’s willingness to heal has no hidden motive.

God loves us so much that He wants our bodies to be healed from sicknesses and diseases ALWAYS!

God does not use sickness and healing as teaching tools or for manipulation.

God healed us when we didn’t deserve healing.

Don’t ever believe that you are not being healed because you aren’t doing everything right.

God healed people that were doing everything wrong.

God wants us well, and it isn’t so that we will work for Him or have a testimony.

God wants us well because He loves us so much.

30 Days of Truth

Day 12 – focus on christ

Romans 2:14 KJV

[14] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Romans makes it clear that all people, under the law or otherwise are judged. No one is exempt, and no one has partiality with God.

Romans 2:14 teaches that the Gentiles have the law of God, (that is, the essential capacity for understanding right from wrong) written into their very nature.

A person’s mind either accuses or excuses their thoughts and actions.

The human conscience is bent towards self-condemnation, even when we are not condemned by God or by others.

Yet, despite our propensity to condemn ourselves, there is hope!

When we see our weakness in our flesh and focus on giving into that weakness, we will continue in it.

When we focus on Christ and the things of God, reminding ourselves (daily) how loved, perfect and holy we are to God, our weaknesses will transform into the strength to overcome.

Our self-condemnation can be turned into an unshakable confidence toward God, as we focus on and reveal His nature within us.

30 Days of Truth

Day 13 – renew your mind

Ephesians 4:22-25 KJV

[22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; [24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. [25] Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

“Renewing our mind daily.”

Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase before.

But what does it really mean?

You may read your daily scripture, or daily chapters (if you’re on a year-long Bible reading plan), but maybe you don’t find yourself changing all that much.

It isn’t “renewing your mind” to simply “read” scripture.

It isn’t even “renewing your mind” to hear the scripture.

“Renewing your mind” is about choosing daily to appropriate every good truth that God believes about you.

“Renewing your mind” is about changing your focus and your attention off the things that are remnants of who you were before and focusing on who you are now in Christ’s nature.

“Renewing your mind” is about choosing to outwardly express the character and personage of Christ living in you, instead of expressing an old sinful nature that is dead and gone.

Reading and listening to the Bible is important, useful and strengthening.

Hearing from the Holy Spirit living in you, and expressing His nature daily is life changing.

Don’t just read words on a page.

Renew your mind.

30 Days of Truth

Day 14 – heart over help

Romans 12:1 KJV

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

This scripture has been used by religion to teach that we are all expected to serve God in some capacity as our “reasonable service.”

Yet that is not exactly what this scripture is saying.

Paul is laying out the framework for how our conversion in Christ should change us. He is not ordering all believers to pick a form of service.

Teaching that we must all serve in a church or organization of ministry is destructive. Not all believers are called to such a service.

Not all are called to be pastors or teachers or evangelists, and these and other administrations are more than the sum of education or what can be taught.

Such administrations must be a calling of God on a person’s life.

The call of God upon every believer on Christ is to have relationship with the Father. Anything else is secondary.

God would rather have your heart than your service. Your heart is more important than your “help”.

If you do serve, be sure of your calling.

No man can tell you what God has called you to do. Only God can tell you what He has called you to do.

Every believer can love others and show God’s love to others.

Every believer can represent Christ in their day-to-day living.

Their life is their pulpit and the world around them is their congregation.

Is that not a “reasonable service”?

30 Days of Truth

Day 15 – comfortable being uncomfortable

Matthew 8:32-34 KJV

[32] And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. [33] And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. [34] And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

When Jesus encounters two demon-possessed people, the demons ask to be be cast out into a herd of pigs.

When the demons enter into the pigs, the pigs run into the sea and drown.

When the keepers of the pigs tell those in the city what has happened, the whole city comes out to meet Jesus.

They don’t thank Him for healing the two demon-possessed people.

They don’t ask Him to heal their sick.

They aren’t grateful that the demon-possessed people are no longer scaring folks and blocking free travel.

They wanted Jesus to leave!

They wanted Him gone!

It’s important to note that the people of this region were Gentiles, not Jews, and they were well-rooted in their pagan beliefs.

For all we know, these demon-possessed men served a twisted purpose in the community.

The people of this region had become comfortable with their demons.

They were comfortable in their sins.

People can become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We learn from another Gospel account of this story that the pigs numbered about two thousand.

These pigs were their food and their livelihood, and Jesus had indirectly caused them to drown themselves in the sea.

Their meat was spoiled, their hides were ruined, and their value was now worthless!

Thanks Jesus. (Sarcasm)

Like these people, Christians today also sometimes reject miracles.

They have a need, and they claim to want the miraculous, and they may even beg God for a miracle.

When the miracle comes, they don’t want any part of it.

They make excuses and reject the hand that heals.

They have become comfortable with sin or sickness.

Their sins or sickness has intruded upon the very thoughts of their heart and to them, it represents part of their identity. To them, it is part of who they are, and as much as they hate their sins/sickness, they can no more be rid of it than they could rid themselves of a body part.

Yet despite how entrenched this false belief is in who they are, it is truly FALSE BELIEF.

False belief can be overcome with truth, but a person must be willing to let go of their belief in WHO THEY ARE, WHO THEY ARE NOT, and BELIEVE in WHO CHRIST IS. Simply believing in who THEY are is not going to help their faith, because that points their focus back to themselves, their own sins, sicknesses or shortcomings.

We must have a firm faith and belief in who CHRIST IS and believe that who we are is the same as Him.

We are ONE with Him, plus nothing else.

Old things are passed away!

All things have become NEW!

30 Days of Truth

Day 16 – guard your heart

Proverbs 23:7 KJV

[7] For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

The literally translated scripture says, “For as he has measured in his soul, so is he.”

Our outward actions are a direct reflection of our spiritual condition.

This scripture is particularly a warning that some people may outwardly appear to be kind to you, but in their heart, they are thinking evil against you.

The Hebrew word for “thinks/measures” is Shā’ar.

Strongs Concordance gives this word an interesting meaning of “gate/gate keeper”.

The soul is truly the “gate” of our spirits. Nothing passes out of our spirit without first passing through the “gate” of our soul.

This word also means to “estimate, calculate, reckon or measure”.

Let’s look at the scripture again, in light of this expanded definition.

“To the measure, the estimate or the calculation that a man believes in his heart/soul/mind, so will that belief be manifest through the gate of his soul.”

Jesus said that there is nothing that enters into a man that defiles him. It is what comes out of him that defiles him.

This is confirmed by Proverbs 4:23 which says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

If the heart/soul is our “gate” between the outside world, our bodies and our spirit.

Because everything about us is contained in and filtered through it, I hope you can see how important it is to “guard” it.

We aren’t guarding our born-again spirit, which cannot be defiled, but our heart/soul, which is our will, memories, thoughts and emotions.

The heart/soul must be renewed by the Holy Spirit continually in order for our behavior and actions to change.

We guard our heart so that who we are in Christ is released from our spirit into our lives, and the corruption of this world with all of its negative and harmful experiences and beliefs will not continue to block and defile the “gate” of our soul.