Greetings again everyone,
Today, I wish to write and share some deeper truths relative to anger which the Lord has been sharing with me over the past few weeks. My prayer is that the following discussion is, if not more, life-changing and revolutionary for you as it was for me and those I've already shared part of it with. Moreover, this is not an exhaustive study on the subject. However, I do believe it is a sound biblical study relative to the walk of faith and spiritual maturity.
Now, allow me to say this first - you don't have to have (or think you don't have) a problem with anger to receive some very real personal enlightenment from this discussion. It is the Word of God and it is life for your spirit man. Consequently, what we need most from God He's already provided for us in His Word. Trust me, all of us can be better people, more like Christ that is, in more ways than we know or are willing to admit. Therefore, before you read any further, either pray and/or suspend any inner defenses against this topic. God bless you. Let's get started.
To begin, let's observe a biblical definition of anger.
ANGER - (1) A feeling of great annoyance or antagonism as the result of some real or alleged grievance. Rage. Wrath. (2) The emotion of instant displeasure on account of something evil that presents itself in our view. In itself it is an original susceptibility of our nature, just as love is, and is not necessarily sinful. It does, however, become sinful when causeless, or excessive, or protracted (Matt. 5:22; Eph. 4:26; Col. 3:8). As ascribed to God, it merely denotes his displeasure with sin.
This definition reveals that anger is inner emotional excitement toward something negative or perceived as negative. Therefore, anger, in and of itself is not wrong. In fact, God created us, like He is, with the capacity and ability to experience this emotion. As a matter of fact, the scripture even tells us that anger is sometimes acceptable. Ephesians 4:26 - Be ye angry and sin not... In this verse, the 'be ye angry' part speaks of the idea of acceptable anger. Literally, the allowance of anger over sin and sinful things (e.g. lying, murder, idolatry, pride, etc.) which happen that God would become angry about. A summative thought would be: Anger over any sinful force which comes against the interests of God. Anger over such things God considers acceptable. However, the 'and sin not' part suggests that even acceptable anger can become sin at a certain point. Remember, all sin is against God. You cannot sin against a person and not be sinning against God simultaneously. This would also be true when your anger toward a person or object becomes sin, now you’re at offense with God.
So, when exactly does anger become sin? The answer is simple, yet substantive. It involves anger's purpose, extent, and length. We’ll review each of these in detail. Note that the definition of anger (shown above) reveals that anger becomes sin when it is – causeless (unjust), excessive, and/or prolonged. To be sin, it can be either, all, or a combination of these. Lets talk about the first component - purpose.
I. PURPOSE: anger with or without a right (just) cause
Matthew 5:21-22a - Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Jesus spoke this statement while delivering His famous sermon on the mount. It consumes three chapters (5-7) in Matthew’s gospel account. Here Jesus tells His disciples that murder was judged and punishable by God in the Old Testament (OT) under the law. However, now under the New Testament (NT), any causeless (e.g. unjust) anger or hatred toward a person is liable to God’s judgment and punishment. The ‘brother’ in the verse means neighbor; or basically anyone. So in the OT it was the murderous act that was subject to God's judgment, but now, in the NT, it is the unjust anger (e.g. murderous attitude) and heart that is subject to God's judgment. To God, unjust anger is like hatred, then murder. So let’s be clear, any anger established which is of a cause that God wouldn’t have is causeless. Yes, you may have a cause for it, but would that be God’s cause? Moreover, the emphasis is on the purpose for the anger. If there is no real reason, it is sin. If the reason is faulty; something which God is not offended by, it is sin. This even includes something as simple as road rage. [Lol - This was something I almost had yesterday while driving behind some slow drivers on the Interstate]. Therefore, right at the beginning of our anger over something there are a few questions we might quickly consider asking ourselves to ensure our purpose is right.
(1) Why or what am I really getting angry about?
(2) Am I getting angry at more than I'm admitting?
(3) Do I have to become angry? Am I really getting angry only to protect my right to get angry? Your right to anger ends when disobedience (e.g. unjust anger) begins. Therefore, it's not a right you're protecting now, but a wrong you're protecting.
(4) Am I hurt? NOTE: You can be hurt and not necessarily angry, but you cannot be angry and not hurt.
(5) Am I angry at a person(s) or an act(s)? If either, is it the right person(s) or act(s)?
(6) Was the act a sin? Is God or would God get angry about this? If it is not a sin you should be wary about becoming angry. God has a track record of only getting angry over sin. We are made like Him and have what it takes to express Him.
Proverbs 14:17 - He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated. Ecclesiastes 7:9 - Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools (NASB). Adam Clarke's Commentary asserts, "Dealeth foolishly - He has no time for reflection; he is hurried on by his passions, speaks like a fool, and acts like a madman. Anger resteth in the bosom of fools - A wise man, off his guard, may feel it for a moment: but in him it cannot rest: it is a fire which he immediately casts out of his breast. But the fool - the man who is under the dominion of his own tempers, harbors and fosters it, till it takes the form of malice, and then excites him to seek full revenge on those whom he deems enemies."
Finally, do you have a history of getting angry too quickly or too often? Be honest with yourself and God. It also may be a good idea to ask a trusted friend, partner, or relative of whom you have significant history if your view of your temperament is accurate. Even still, everyone should determine their anger frequency? Do you find yourself becoming angry a few times a year, a few times a month, a few times a week, a few times day, etc. No matter what the reason, if you are quickly or frequently angered then your state is clear in scripture. This may be a challenging word, but Prov. 14:17 and Eccl. 7:9 (shown above) calls such person a fool. However, if that is you, don't feel bad for one moment, there is good news. You don't have to remain that way. God is not mad at you, but desires to help and bless you greatly! A lot of people have anger problems but don't know it. They haven't evaluated themselves against the scriptures. Typically, anger problems suggests a deeper issue(s); perhaps some unresolved or unhealed areas in your past that need God's healing treatment. God will help you speedily if you desire. Pray and ask Him to show you YOU and help you recover. Praise God! Trust me, there is really no need to feel bad. Besides, all people at one time or another have acted foolishly.
Part II next...
Showing posts with label Godliness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Godliness. Show all posts
June 6, 2011
THE SHAPE OF ANGER: Prelude
Greetings saints,
To begin this blog segment, let's review the Biblical commentary of theologian Albert Barnes on Ephesians 4:26-27 - Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.
Anger is sinful in the following circumstances: (1) When it is excited without any sufficient cause - when we are in no danger, and do not need it for a protection. We should be safe without it. (2) When it transcends the cause, if any cause really exists. All that is beyond the necessity of immediate self-protection, is apart from its design, and is wrong. (3) When it is against or greater toward “the person” rather than the “offence.” The object is not to injure one another; it is to protect ourselves. (4) When it is attended with the desire of “revenge.” That is always wrong; Rom.12:17, Rom.12:19. (5) When it is cherished and heightened by reflection. And, (6) when there is an unforgiving spirit; a determination to exact the utmost satisfaction for the injury which has been done."
Over the next few blog posts we will examine some of these thoughts in detail.
To begin this blog segment, let's review the Biblical commentary of theologian Albert Barnes on Ephesians 4:26-27 - Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.
Anger is sinful in the following circumstances: (1) When it is excited without any sufficient cause - when we are in no danger, and do not need it for a protection. We should be safe without it. (2) When it transcends the cause, if any cause really exists. All that is beyond the necessity of immediate self-protection, is apart from its design, and is wrong. (3) When it is against or greater toward “the person” rather than the “offence.” The object is not to injure one another; it is to protect ourselves. (4) When it is attended with the desire of “revenge.” That is always wrong; Rom.12:17, Rom.12:19. (5) When it is cherished and heightened by reflection. And, (6) when there is an unforgiving spirit; a determination to exact the utmost satisfaction for the injury which has been done."
Over the next few blog posts we will examine some of these thoughts in detail.
- You cannot hold on to and release something at the same time. Neither can you grasp what should be held on to.
March 13, 2011
Race Relations: The Kingdom Approach I
Greetings Kingdom citizens,
As a side study to our 52 Weeks of Praise, I feel compelled to speak on race relations within the body of Christ. To begin, allow me to bring up a few scriptures. You're going to want to grab your Bible for this. Also, be sure to chime in on the discussion by leaving comments.
- SCRIPTURES -
Galatians 6:10 - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Proverbs 3:27 - Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Acts 17:26 - And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.
Galatians 3:8 - And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Revelation 5:9 - And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Revelation 7:9 - After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
Revelation 21:24 - And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Romans 5:18 - Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Romans 12:17-18 - Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
1 Corinthians 15:39 - All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.
1 Timothy 2:1 - I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
1 Timothy 2:4 - Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 4:10 - For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1 Peter 2:17 - Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Now that we've reviewed some scriptures, allow me to take a deeper look at some biblical precepts to further set the stage for this discussion. Keep your Bible near. We'll come back to elaborate on these scriptures.
Notwithstanding, from just reading them we can derive a good idea of what our attitude and behavior should be as we interact with other believers/citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, regardless of race. As citizens of Heaven, but believers on Earth we represent God. He is seen or manifested to others through our obedient actions. Therefore, it is clear that we should interact, engage, and respond to people as our Heavenly Father would in order to represent Him properly. In other words, it is Heaven's culture that we should shew forth on the earth among men. As it is in Heaven so should we be, execute, and demonstrate consistently on Earth. We are on the earth but not [spiritually] from the earth. Moreover, we are in the world but not of the world (John 17:14,16). Our original spiritual citizenship/birthplace was (and is) Heaven because that's where our human spirit was created in the first place (Genesis 1:26-27). It is only our physical bodies, which house/encompass our human spirits, that were made on and from the earth. So when we were born again, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (e.g. The Holy Trinity) took up residence inside our human spirit NOT our physical bodies. Therefore our connection link to Heaven, our country of origin, is our redeemed human spirit. Why is this important? Because the kingdom principles (Bible standards/laws) that we are to follow have a Heavenly origin just like our human spirits. Therefore, since we originated from Heaven we should adhere to the principles of Heaven. Heavenly principles will produce Heavenly results and wordly principles will produce wordly results. Heavenly results are God's results and God's results are His willed or intended outcomes.
So God's system is established: His principles lead to His intended outcomes or results and His outcomes are the best outcomes. Therefore, His believers should live for and to His outcomes or results. In the mouth of a committed kingdom citizen it would sound something like this:
"Father God in Heaven, I recognize that my life, my purpose, and all I'm to be and do originates from you. I submit to your will (plans and processes) and willed outcomes (results) for my life and through my life to others. As I now set my heart to obey you and follow your heavenly principles, your willed outcomes (results) will be executed to your glory. Help me to hear and adhere to you forever. In Jesus' name, Amen."
So if anyone is really interested in being all that God wants them to be or having all that God wants them to have, then praying a prayer as such is a must.
Now, with the spiritual stage being set for this discussion, what exactly is God's or Heaven's attitude about race relations among believers? First of all we must understand that God is not against or for any one race in particular. He created all of the races and loves them all equally. In other words, God loves every human equally. No more, no less! His love is all-inclusive- universally and comprehensively. There's nothing a human can do to increase His love for them or decrease His love for them. If we review the creation account of mankind in Genesis 1:26-27 we'll quickly find that ALL mankind, that is every race or nationality, was created in His image. For all races were represented in the first man, Adam. Now after all these ages certainly God would not reduce the value on His own image, especially after going through the trouble [so to speak] of creating us in it. Besides, John 3:16 tells us that God was moved with such love for those created in His image (mankind) that He gave His only Son for them. So God is certainly not pro-white and against the other races. Nor is He pro-black and against the other races. He's equally for all because He created all. This idea is actually fairly familiar to us humans. Just think about how a parent that has multiple children loves them equally. Unless they were born at the same time, each child physically looks different, acts different, and has differing personalities and temperaments. Yet, it is no question that that parent loves each of them because they birthed them. If this be true with humans and their children how much more with God and His offspring?
In part II let's review each scripture shown above individually...
As a side study to our 52 Weeks of Praise, I feel compelled to speak on race relations within the body of Christ. To begin, allow me to bring up a few scriptures. You're going to want to grab your Bible for this. Also, be sure to chime in on the discussion by leaving comments.
- SCRIPTURES -
Galatians 6:10 - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Proverbs 3:27 - Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Acts 17:26 - And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.
Galatians 3:8 - And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Revelation 5:9 - And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Revelation 7:9 - After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
Revelation 21:24 - And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Romans 5:18 - Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Romans 12:17-18 - Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
1 Corinthians 15:39 - All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.
1 Timothy 2:1 - I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
1 Timothy 2:4 - Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 4:10 - For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1 Peter 2:17 - Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Now that we've reviewed some scriptures, allow me to take a deeper look at some biblical precepts to further set the stage for this discussion. Keep your Bible near. We'll come back to elaborate on these scriptures.
Notwithstanding, from just reading them we can derive a good idea of what our attitude and behavior should be as we interact with other believers/citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, regardless of race. As citizens of Heaven, but believers on Earth we represent God. He is seen or manifested to others through our obedient actions. Therefore, it is clear that we should interact, engage, and respond to people as our Heavenly Father would in order to represent Him properly. In other words, it is Heaven's culture that we should shew forth on the earth among men. As it is in Heaven so should we be, execute, and demonstrate consistently on Earth. We are on the earth but not [spiritually] from the earth. Moreover, we are in the world but not of the world (John 17:14,16). Our original spiritual citizenship/birthplace was (and is) Heaven because that's where our human spirit was created in the first place (Genesis 1:26-27). It is only our physical bodies, which house/encompass our human spirits, that were made on and from the earth. So when we were born again, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (e.g. The Holy Trinity) took up residence inside our human spirit NOT our physical bodies. Therefore our connection link to Heaven, our country of origin, is our redeemed human spirit. Why is this important? Because the kingdom principles (Bible standards/laws) that we are to follow have a Heavenly origin just like our human spirits. Therefore, since we originated from Heaven we should adhere to the principles of Heaven. Heavenly principles will produce Heavenly results and wordly principles will produce wordly results. Heavenly results are God's results and God's results are His willed or intended outcomes.
So God's system is established: His principles lead to His intended outcomes or results and His outcomes are the best outcomes. Therefore, His believers should live for and to His outcomes or results. In the mouth of a committed kingdom citizen it would sound something like this:
"Father God in Heaven, I recognize that my life, my purpose, and all I'm to be and do originates from you. I submit to your will (plans and processes) and willed outcomes (results) for my life and through my life to others. As I now set my heart to obey you and follow your heavenly principles, your willed outcomes (results) will be executed to your glory. Help me to hear and adhere to you forever. In Jesus' name, Amen."
So if anyone is really interested in being all that God wants them to be or having all that God wants them to have, then praying a prayer as such is a must.
Now, with the spiritual stage being set for this discussion, what exactly is God's or Heaven's attitude about race relations among believers? First of all we must understand that God is not against or for any one race in particular. He created all of the races and loves them all equally. In other words, God loves every human equally. No more, no less! His love is all-inclusive- universally and comprehensively. There's nothing a human can do to increase His love for them or decrease His love for them. If we review the creation account of mankind in Genesis 1:26-27 we'll quickly find that ALL mankind, that is every race or nationality, was created in His image. For all races were represented in the first man, Adam. Now after all these ages certainly God would not reduce the value on His own image, especially after going through the trouble [so to speak] of creating us in it. Besides, John 3:16 tells us that God was moved with such love for those created in His image (mankind) that He gave His only Son for them. So God is certainly not pro-white and against the other races. Nor is He pro-black and against the other races. He's equally for all because He created all. This idea is actually fairly familiar to us humans. Just think about how a parent that has multiple children loves them equally. Unless they were born at the same time, each child physically looks different, acts different, and has differing personalities and temperaments. Yet, it is no question that that parent loves each of them because they birthed them. If this be true with humans and their children how much more with God and His offspring?
In part II let's review each scripture shown above individually...
June 18, 2009
Kingdom Gym: "Proper Exercise"
Are you getting enough proper exercise?
The apostle Paul said:
Acts 24:16 - And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
I Timothy 4:7-8 - But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
To exercise means to practice or perform a similar action repetitiously for the purpose of training and discipline. Some of the basic objectives for exercising include: the development of a habit, a strength, a skill, or adjustment of body mass. Scripturally speaking- exercise in the Greek is the word 'gymnasia', which is where we get our English words gym and gymnastics from. The central idea of the word is to exert one's energy in a certain direction.
As citizens of the Kingdom of God we’ve all been called into the gym of life so to speak. We’ve been commissioned by God to literally ‘work out’/exercise/bring out/express - what He has 'worked' (deposited) and is working in us. Notice Paul’s commendation to the Philippian church:
"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13).
Well, when we were born-again we received again God's nature. So His express nature resides in each of us, specifically inside our re-created spirits (spirit man). Praise God- we possess all that He is! Therefore what comes forth out of us should resemble His nature, right? Yes! But wait, with the fall of man (I Cor. 15:22) and the conception of the sin-nature/flesh/old man (which is 100% counter-God) we have some opposition to contend with (Gal 5:16-17).
Now for those of you that exercise (or used to) - you know that exercising is not always easy. It is sometimes called resistance training when weights are involved. Well, both our flesh and spirit man desire exercise (to be used). So which should get the work out? Now remember, as mentioned earlier - exercising a thing will cause it to develop and grow stronger. So if we exercise our flesh it will grow stronger and if we exercise our spirit man it will grow stronger.
Note Hebrews 5:14:
"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." For maturity sake our spirit man needs exercise. Self-examination will reveal to us where we need the most spiritual exercise.
Even God exercises. Take a look:
"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD" (Jer. 9:24).
Blessed regards,
DraperW
P.S. Everyone, check out Min. Josh Harvey's blog "Kill That Old Man" at revelatoryword.blogspot.com (The Sword of The Spirit) as a companion blog to this one.
The apostle Paul said:
Acts 24:16 - And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
I Timothy 4:7-8 - But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
To exercise means to practice or perform a similar action repetitiously for the purpose of training and discipline. Some of the basic objectives for exercising include: the development of a habit, a strength, a skill, or adjustment of body mass. Scripturally speaking- exercise in the Greek is the word 'gymnasia', which is where we get our English words gym and gymnastics from. The central idea of the word is to exert one's energy in a certain direction.
As citizens of the Kingdom of God we’ve all been called into the gym of life so to speak. We’ve been commissioned by God to literally ‘work out’/exercise/bring out/express - what He has 'worked' (deposited) and is working in us. Notice Paul’s commendation to the Philippian church:
"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13).
Well, when we were born-again we received again God's nature. So His express nature resides in each of us, specifically inside our re-created spirits (spirit man). Praise God- we possess all that He is! Therefore what comes forth out of us should resemble His nature, right? Yes! But wait, with the fall of man (I Cor. 15:22) and the conception of the sin-nature/flesh/old man (which is 100% counter-God) we have some opposition to contend with (Gal 5:16-17).
Now for those of you that exercise (or used to) - you know that exercising is not always easy. It is sometimes called resistance training when weights are involved. Well, both our flesh and spirit man desire exercise (to be used). So which should get the work out? Now remember, as mentioned earlier - exercising a thing will cause it to develop and grow stronger. So if we exercise our flesh it will grow stronger and if we exercise our spirit man it will grow stronger.
Simply put - the one that gets the most exercise becomes the strongest!How do we exercise our spirit man then? Well, exercise involves repetitive actions so lets see what James (the 1/2 brother of Jesus) can tell us. James 1:22 says "Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only... So hearing the Word, then doing the Word is exercise for our spirit man. Now we see that in order for our spiritual exercise to be labeled as 'proper exercise' it must be our spirit man that gets the work out. When our flesh gets the work out - it is 'improper exercise'. Either flesh or spirit- we're always exercising something, but those that exercise know that improper exercise can be more harmful than no exercise. Folks, it is safe to say that our flesh deserves death- not exercise!
Note Hebrews 5:14:
"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." For maturity sake our spirit man needs exercise. Self-examination will reveal to us where we need the most spiritual exercise.
Even God exercises. Take a look:
"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD" (Jer. 9:24).
Blessed regards,
DraperW
P.S. Everyone, check out Min. Josh Harvey's blog "Kill That Old Man" at revelatoryword.blogspot.com (The Sword of The Spirit) as a companion blog to this one.
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