Prelude: The Scope of Patience

Greetings folks,

As another character subject, this time let's take a look at patience. Like anger and zeal which we've previously looked at, this too is a matter of the heart. Since believers are ambassadors, literally representatives of Christ, His patience level and ours should readily be in sync. Ultimately, in the end they will be, but now we all must continually examine ourselves.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself: Would you consider yourself to be a patient person? Would your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. agree with you? Most importantly, would God agree with you? How exactly do you judge patience?

Moreover, for now, consider the following thoughts and questions. We'll talk more about some of these later.

• When you demonstrate patience; you are also demonstrating faith. Usually, some level of vision is present too.
• Patience is a natural component of faith (Hebrews 11:1).
• Consider the Prodigal son's request and the timeliness of it. Anything a person receives too soon may support an inner dysfunction.
• Technological advances may have an impact on how we view time.
• Why is patience important to God?
• What does your patience reveal about you?
• When, how, and to whom did Jesus demonstrate His patience when He walked the earth? What about God in the Old Testament?
• Is demonstrating patience a choice? Can it be exhibited by everyone? Can you be patient in one instance and impatient in another?

Stay tuned...

Zealous Towards God: He's Worthy of Our Full Devotion

Good day folks,

I hope all is well.

Let's go ahead and dive into our discussion on being zealous toward or for God. As a reminder, this topic is a matter of your heart and apart of my blog series on character. Stay tuned for more in this series. We have several topics that we'll be exploring. Invite others to join in on the discussions.

Now, let's look at a definition for zeal, then the adjective zealous.

Zeal - [1] fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor, [2] fervent or enthusiastic devotion, or [3] an earnest temper; may be enlightened (Num. 25:11-13; 2 Cor. 7:11; 9:2), or ignorant and misdirected (Rom. 10:2; Phil. 3:6). As a Christian grace, it must be grounded on right principles and directed to right ends (Gal. 4:18). It is sometimes ascribed to God (2 Kings 19:31; Isa. 9:7; 37:32; Ezek. 5:13). Zealous - [1] full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; ardently active, devoted, or diligent, or [2] filled with or inspired by intense enthusiasm or zeal; ardent; fervent.

So, ladies and gentlemen, the questions on the floor are these: What is your true attitude towards God? How long does it remain there- always, often, rarely, etc.? Are you angry or upset at Him about anything? Are you truly grateful to Him?

Right now, begin to search your heart and determine how you really feel about God. In the privacy of your own prayer mode, share with Him how you feel about Him, what your attitude is toward Him and why. He isn't afraid nor will He become upset if your answer is not fully positive. He's not like that. He just wants to hear from you. He wants to listen to you and hear your side. Unlike humans, God won't interrupt but allow you to fully express yourself before He responds. He's all about meeting you where you are and helping you get to where He's calling you. He already knows what's in your heart but desires that you talk to Him about it. He desires truth on the inside. That's where He places His attention and emphasis according to scripture. Psalm 51:6 declares, "Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being..."

So, after truly searching your heart, if you've determined that your zeal or devotion is not where it should be, let's get it there. God is not going to do this for you. Right now, while reading this- begin to consider everything that God has already done for you. Starting thinking about the things He's currently doing for you. Even your ability to read these words are because of His great sensitive power in your life. All that you can do or think or hear or see - is because He wills it to be so. Even when you forget Him, He remembers you and allows you yet another opportunity to receive His blessings. Everyday, God is better to you than you can imagine, than you can request, than you can think. God has done more for your just TODAY than you can understand. Even now, there are battles going on in the spirit realm where the devil and his forces are against you and your family. None of this you can even see! God is protecting you from these unseen dangers even as you read! Glory! If you're a believer you ought to know this - God prevents more things from occurring in your life than you'll ever know or could count. On average, God blesses you over a million times a day- WITHOUT YOUR REQUEST or RECOGNITION. He just does it! That's just what your physical body and mind does so you can function. That's not to count what He does in the spirit realm on your behalf. Folks, if we only knew the things God handles without our request but on our behalf. We'd be even more amazed with Him.

Trust me, I do understand that things in your life may not be perfect or even comfortable at this moment, but God is still being good to you right now. That may be a challenge to see, but just take a moment and consider what you're able to do. Consider the fact that you're still alive. All hope is never lost with God. Reignite your faith and hope in Him. He can change a situation for your good even at the final hour. Sometimes what's last minute to you is first minute to Him! Know that any trouble or problem you're facing (really it's facing you) could be much, much, worse. The devil really wants to do even greater evil. Further, please believe that what you're experiencing is nothing compared to everything that the devil is attempting. However, God is your defence. He has not given up on you, your circumstance, nothing! He loves you. He wants the best for you. He wants your life to turn out glorious. Decide today to repent and begin to be more grateful for the things that God has already brought you through and over. Your inner zeal and attitude toward Him can change in an instant. Develop a greater heart for God out of gratitude for Him and His inexplicable goodness! The best is still yet to come and even coming now if you receive it by faith. Let this post charge you up again in the spirit and increase your zeal, dedication, and focus toward God. He loves you with everything He has.

Now, for those of you that rightly determined your zeal towards God to be great and proper in the first place, then kudos to you! Stay vigilant and remain that way. God is worth it. He deserves our devotion. Our zeal towards Him should indeed be great because He is so great! 

He is the great God our Creator, sustainer, and blesser!

- The most beautiful people in the world are most beautiful inside. Be beautiful!

The Shape of Anger: Part V

For the last post of this series on anger I'd like us to consider the term devil in verse 27 (Ephesians 4:27) - "Neither give place to the devil."

First, allow me to provide some background on who the devil or Satan is.

• He is not a devil, but the chief devilish or evil one. No one and no thing is more evil than him. All evil, wrongs, and humans ills can be traced directly to him.
• He is the great accuser- false accuser of the brethren (i.e. believers) - Rev. 12:10. This is the critical point we'll be discussing in depth later in this post.
• Banished from Heaven due to his pride, Satan has become the archenemy of God and mankind. He knows that He cannot harm God in any way but desperately seeks to hurt God's creation.
• He is intimately jealous of the human condition- being made in the image and likeness of God. He desired this honor for himself.
• As a result of his hatred of God and mankind he pursues their complete destruction on a daily basis. The devil does not sleep on this.

Consequently, he desires to destroy mankind himself, or for God to do it, or for men to destroy each other. Either way, he wants God's image (mankind), which he couldn't have, completely wiped out! One of Satan's most misunderstood approaches to do this is by accusation. The devil is the ACCUSER of all, particularly believers. The great theologian Dr. H.L. Wilmington, in his Guide to the Bible, notes that, "this is one of the most malicious and misunderstood present-day activities of the devil." Further, Wilmington notes that "the Bible informs us of one of Satan's most treacherous hatchet jobs, that of bad-mouthing believers. In fact, this was one of several key reasons why the crucified and resurrected Christ had to ascend back to heaven that he might function as our divine defense attorney." (See Week 6 of Praise: God's Advocacy) So, do you constantly accuse people? Have you been told that you do? Do you know anyone else who does this? The truth is always the truth, but accusations are the devil's handiwork. Any time you hear someone defaming someone else, through only accusations, it is of the devil...period! God doesn't do that.

Now, let's take another look at our keystone scripture. Ephesians 4:27 - "Neither give place to the devil." The Greek present imperative of this verse means: Do not have the habit of giving place to Satan. Uncontrolled or unjust anger is an open door invitation for Satan to enter in to disrupt and corrupt whatever he chooses (See Part IV). Note, the term devil in this verse means a traducer- one who speaks maliciously and falsely of; to slander; to defame: to traduce someone's character. (2) A false accuser, (3) A wicked slanderer in the original language. Further, Fausset's Bible Dictionary surmised the following concerning Satan as an accuser: "The devil slanders God to man, man to God (Genesis 3; Zechariah 3), and man to man (via hatred, jealousy, envy, wrath, etc.). His misrepresentation of God as one arbitrary, selfish, and envious of His creature's happiness, a God to be slavishly-feared lest He should hurt, rather than filially loved, runs through all pagan idolatries. This calumny is refuted by God's not sparing His only begotten Son to save us. His slander of good men, as if serving God only for self's sake, is refuted by the case of "those who lose (in will or deed) their life for Christ's sake."

The central thought here, particularly the man to man part, is that when a person is angry at someone, Satan will continue to slander and defame the offender in one's mind until they're bubbling over in anger. He wants retaliation by any means necessary. This is why it is important that we are not too soon or too long angry with anyone. Satan always seeks to take the offense further than the offense itself! He provide you with false reasons, motives, and conclusions for why the person committed the offense against you. He'll have you trying to connect dots to an offense when no dots really exist. Even if the offender has told you the truth, Satan wants you to accept his ideas as the real ones. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OF SATAN'S ACTIONS AGAINST MANKIND ARE OUT OF RETALIATION AGAINST GOD. Remember, Satan lost his honored position in Heaven due to his pride. He wanted to be like God as we are. He did not take his expulsion lightly. Although, not visibly angry with God, he does take out his hatred of Him on mankind. 

Now, let's see how the devil accuses someone before God in a familiar Bible example. In the book of Job (Job 1:6-12) we are invited into a heavenly scene where Satan begins accusing Job to God. As you read the story, it is clear that Satan has nothing good to say about Job. Satan falsely accuses Job and seeks to get God to believe that Job's character is reproachable. Further, Satan attempts to explain to God what the real condition of Job's heart was towards Him. Satan claimed to really know that Job only seemed zealous toward God. Ultimately, he accused Job of having non-genuine worship and respect for God. In this way, he claimed to know more about Job than God. NOTE: Like Satan, an accusing person will always claim to know something negative about a person that's unseen or unproven. If you continue to follow Job's story you'll notice that even Job's friends were of no help to him. They too were false accusers under the influence of the devil in their own right. They claimed to have the real reasons for Job's sufferings. Consider this: If Satan was brave enough to falsely accuse Job before God and use his friends against him, are we any different in this age? This is part of what's being conveyed in our keystone verse via the term "devil." The devil wants us to believe the worst about other people so that we treat them negatively. Unfortunately, some of these people may be in God's plan to bless us in some way later in life. This is especially true when we are angry at someone. Whether the anger is just (righteous) or unjust, the devil will always try to accuse the other person further than the act itself. This is one of his deceptive schemes to cause 'just' anger to easily slip over into 'unjust' anger.

Now, although beyond the topic of anger, you must be aware that the devil doesn't only want to accuse people you're angry with. Just hearing something, usually negative, about another person can become grounds for Satanic accusation. Also, think about who and/or how many people you don't like? What are the reasons? Are the reasons right and/or proven? Have you allowed the devil to paint a picture in your heart of someone that is really not true? Has Satan painted you negatively in someone's heart that you know is not true? Either way, your heart condition towards people will determine how far and how fast you progress in this life. God designed our lives to be interconnected. It's the human channel of connectivity, by His design.

Notwithstanding, it is true that sometimes people choose not to like other people because something was done or said that wasn't liked. In this a feeling of justification arises for not liking them, and, in many cases if a wrong was committed then it should indeed be made right. However, sometimes people choose not to like people and have no real proven-basis for it. They allow the devil to subtly accuse others in their minds until they've derived a reason for the dislike. Some believers have even went as far as calling this 'spiritual discernment'; especially when they've chosen not to like someone for a reason that they can't really 'put their finger on'. With this, I must say that there are real times that God will cause us to spiritually discern certain individuals of which we need not associate with. In these cases, they are not scheduled to be a part of God's plan for our lives. However, not liking a person for no real reason, a false reason, or an unproved reason is not sanctioned anywhere in the scripture. We have been commanded to love; dislike and like of others is mankind's behavioral variations from this command. In fact, Jesus hates sin but still loves people that do sin. Moreover, if Jesus could associate with the likes of Judas, knowing the evil he was up to, please know that we're no different. Life will bring about necessary associations with people we feel we have reason to dislike. It's part of the walk of faith and maturity. God, in Jesus name, help us all : >) Besides, it is possible to not like what a person does or says and have no negative feelings about them as a person. This is how Jesus responds to you and your sin.

Psalm 101:5a - "Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour him will I cut off...
I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors... (NLT)

Until next time...peace be unto all of you.
DsW

Prelude: Zealous- Toward, For, and Because of God

Casual, indifferent, apathetic, passionate, enthusiastic, motivated...

Which of these words (more than one may apply at various times) would describe your attitude, disposition, and behavior concerning God, His principles, and assignments? Whether its teaching a Sunday school class, being kind, praying, giving, studying the Bible, etc. Whether its something done privately or publicly for God- what is your attitudinal stance most times?

Be encouraged and stay tuned...

Next character topic up - Zealousness

THE SHAPE OF ANGER: Part IV

IV: THE WRONG GIFT
If I were to ask a million of my fellow Christians, at one time, "Who wants to be a blessing to the devil?", or "How should we best set an atmosphere for him to work?", I am certain that I would not be received well--at all! In fact, I'd probably receive a fairly severe response. Such questions would be considered extremely offensive and likely require my speedy removal from the area. Those listening would emphatically declare those questions to be absurd, ridiculous, and simply stupid! No Christian would ever in their wildest imaginations; or in their worst state of sin, consider doing such things for Satan. Moreover, it would be easily concluded that since the devil is the great enemy of God and man, he doesn't deserve anything positive- ever! For only the God of salvation and posterity is due such honour.

Sadly, the next verse in our discussion shows that we do sometimes freely give to the devil. It is in our flesh (e.g. old man, sin nature) that we are much like our first parent- Adam, who freely gave his authority over to the devil. Adam put up no fight nor resistance. Unfortunately, sometimes neither do we. Remember, Satan is the great deceiver and he wants from you only what God deserves and he'll stop at nothing to get it!

Let's take a deeper look at this...

The very next verse in our discussion is Ephesians 4:27 - Neither give place to the devil. It's actually a continuation of verse 26; connected in English Bibles by a colon. Moreover, in the original Greek text these two verses disclose one complete thought about anger. Therefore, the entire thought may read like this: "When you get angry, do not sin. Don't allow the sun (literal or figurative) to set while still fuming with anger. Doing this will give the devil opportunity to do as he pleases." Two of the first things that jumps out in this verse is the word "give" then "to the devil". Why would the great Apostle Paul be talking to believers about giving anything to the devil other than a rebuke! In fact, this is the only place in the Bible where it specifically states that we give something to the devil. Now don't go overboard, we should know that all sin is a treat for Satan, because he's the father of sin. As such, it's apparent that he gets pleasure out of all sin. Nonetheless, in this verse it is clear who's giving, what the gift is, and who's receiving the gift. Moreover, by further study of this verse along with other scriptures on anger we can clearly see what the devil's plan is for using the gift. Let's go even deeper into this...

What does it mean to 'give place to the devil'?
(1) The original Greek word for 'give' means: to offer, to bestow, to deliver, to allow, to place, or to grant.
(2) The original Greek word for 'place' means: an opportunity, a room, a seat, a region, a spot, a license, a location, an occasion, a condition, or a plain. It is the word topos' where we derive the English word topography or landscape.

Therefore, the message of the verse is this: Unjust anger and the retaining of it is a gift or an offering for the devil. It sets a stage or atmosphere for him to propose ideas against someone or yourself even. Think about how easy it is to think negatively about someone when you're angry with them. Depending on how angry you are it wouldn't take much for you to act out on those ideas.

Consider this, Satan is a thief by deception and deception is always a trick. Deception causes you to believe a lie in the presence of truth. Remember Eve? Think about it. When angry, you know what you're doing. The problem is that the sin of unjust anger deceives you into thinking that your response is fitting for the offense against you. In an instant, you actually believe that the offender deserves your response in whatever form it comes. You know you're retaliating. All the while, God is softly whispering to you His will for handling the offense. This is a hard saying, but true: In that instant, you're actually demonstrating more faith in Satan's advice than God's.

With our first parents, Adam and Eve, the scriptures record that Eve was deceived, but not Adam. This is one of the reasons why Adam was ultimately held responsible for the fall of man - he knew that he was sinning against God at the time of the sin. Since we're discussing the sin of unjust anger, ask yourself, how many times have you held on to anger; knowing that God wanted you to release it? How many times has God spoken to you about forgiveness through some avenue and you still held on to the offense? This is willful sin, like according to Adam. But don't be so quick to let Eve off the hook either. Her sin also required punishment on her. If she did not sin, then she wouldn't have received an individual punishment. It would've been Adam alone. She had allowed herself to be deceived when she had the truth in the first place. So when you know you should release anger and allow yourself to be deceived into justification of it, it is sin like unto Eve.

Now, back to this gift that unjust anger provides to Satan. Let's do some contrasting. With God, any gift from us provided to Him is considered worship. In the general assemby of the church, monetary tithes and offerings are worship acts toward God. Moreover, with our praise, we set an atmosphere for Him to inhabit so we can worship. For the scripture declares that He inhabits the praises of His people. In essence, we establish a spot or environment for Him to abide and be comfortable. Within this atmosphere God can bless and prosper His people accordingly. He appreciates this invitation to fellowship with His people. god has always desired to dwell among His people.

Unfortunately, according to this verse, unjust anger also establishes a spot or creates an atmosphere for the devil. As with God it is an open invitation for Satan to press his claim on you and through you on someone else. He desires to attack from within. Did you get that? As God has blessed you within your human spirit. Satan also desires to attack you and others from within. Of course, believers can't be demon possessed but they can be demonically influenced. Satan cannot create, but you can. Satan uses human agents to do his bidding just as God. The difference is, Satan doesn't ask, he undermines your understanding and pressures you to do evil. God, on the other hand, desires that you serve Him because of your love for Him--no pressure applied. Have you ever noticed that anger produces pressure? It is good initially for self-defensive purposes. As a matter of fact God gifted man with the ability to get angry (See Part I). To get release. To defend a right cause. However, it is just like the devil to take something God made good and pervert it. The point is clear here: Unjust anger is Satan's environment or atmospheres to produce evil. He needs you to be angry without just cause, to an evil extent, and for a prolonged period. This is his stage. In this atmosphere, Satan can suggests the most evil ideas, of which you never would've thought if your anger was held in check.

Final part - Part V coming next week...

THE SHAPE OF ANGER - Part III

III. LENGTH: how long can you be angry
Ephesians 4:26 - Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

Now, continuing on our discussion of part 'b' of this verse: "let not the sun go down upon your wrath", let's briefly review the commentary of theologians Albert Barnes, Adam Clarke, and John Gill before we dive deeper into the scripture.

[A. Barnes] Let not the sun go down - Do not cherish anger. Do not sleep upon it. Do not harbor a purpose of revenge; do not cherish ill-will against another. “When the sun sets on a man’s anger, he may be sure it is wrong.” The meaning of the whole of this verse then is, “If you be angry, which may be the case, and which may be unavoidable, see that the sudden excitement does not become sin. Do not let it overleap its proper bounds; do not cherish it; do not let it remain in your bosom even to the setting of the sun. Though the sun be sinking in the west, let not the passion linger in the bosom, but let his last rays find you always peaceful and calm.”

[A. Clarke] Let not the sun go down upon your wrath - That is: If you do get angry with any one, see that the fire be cast with the utmost speed out of your bosom. Do not go to sleep with any unkind or unbrotherly feeling; anger, continued in, may produce malice and revenge. No temper of this kind can consist with peace of conscience and the approbation of God’s Spirit in the soul.

[J. Gill] Let not the sun go down upon your wrath - there is there is an allusion to  Deut.24:10 it seems to be a proverbial expression; and the design of it is to show, that anger should not be continued; that it should not last at furthest more than a day; that when the heat of the day is over, the heat of anger should be over likewise; and that we should not sleep with it, lest it should be cherished and increased upon our pillows; and besides, the time of the going down of the sun, is the time of evening prayer, which may be greatly interrupted and hindered by anger.

This part of the verse continues to embellish what we discussed in Part II. The extent of one's anger must be evaluated in order not to carry over into sin. To surmise, this part of the verse communicates the following:

• One should not allow anger to transfer from day to day. If so, it is sin. Reconciliation should take place immediately, in the same day, if possible. God dealt with Adam's sin in the garden quickly (Genesis 3). Since Adam and God usually walked in the cool of the day together in fellowship, when Adam sinned, God noticed it, and reconciled with him by the blood (e.g. coats of skin) immediately- the same day. God set the precedent in the beginning. He didn't linger in anger for days, weeks, months, or years before He covered them. We are too slow to reverse anger and attempt real reconciliation with others. There is a severe risk of going way overboard when you hold on to anger. Things are going to happen so you don't need to be overcome today because you've got yesterday's anger resting in your bosom. Anger will then be compounded and multiplied over several negative things. This is certainly not the will of God for anyone. It'll surely create more leverage for the devil in your life. Moreover, oftentimes people struggle to forgive because they struggle to reduce, then release anger. They carry too much too long. Are you doing this now? Think about this- God's mercies are new every morning toward us. He does not hold on to anger from day to day, particularly, once sin has been confessed. God also doesn't get mad again today about the sins you committed yesterday. Re-anger, unless the offense was re-committed, is not in God's nature. It is also not in your new nature as a believer. Furthermore, with God, everyday is a new opportunity for you to get it right. We should demonstrate the same with others. Of course, if it's a severe situation you may need to remove yourself from it for safety reasons. However, the removal of yourself does not exclude you from the proper management of anger. The Biblical principle is clear: The same grace and mercy extended to you everyday MUST be freely given to others who sin against you. If not, rest assured - it is sin and now you're liable to God's judgment and correction. Besides, some of what happens to us, that we consider unfair or unjust, is because we been so unfair and unjust to others. We remember when we were treated or responded to unfairly, but fail to recall our unfairness or unjust interactions with others. Unfortunately, the harvest will not be a one to one match. That's not how seedtime and harvest works. The harvest is always larger than the seed. If fact, in agriculture, the seed and the harvested crop may only be similar in color, if at all. Paul reminded us in Galatians 6:7 that God oversees sowing and reaping and to think that He doesn't, is like mocking Him. With all that said, in our flesh (e.g. old man/old nature/ wicked heart) there is a real temptation to continue in anger sometimes; especially if we feel greatly offended. This is understandable both by God and people. However, this temptation has to be overcome with God's help. So, since you will get offended at one point or another, know that God will help you to obey Him when it does happen. Anger must be put away before another day begins. We must not enter another day angry at anyone.
• In most cases, we are still angry with people when God is not. God is slow to anger and when or if He does become angry, He doesn't retain it. This is especially true for His children (e.g. believers). In this case, you can be sure that if you're still angry with them, it is sin. The length of your anger has went beyond what's acceptable by Heaven. How could you be more angry than God and all wrong is ultimately against Him? Are you more important than Him? God forbid you to think or act like it. If God is not angry (or no longer) with them neither should you be. In most cases, you don't know what the status of the other person's relationship with God is. They may've confessed the sin against you and are now on the road of repentance with God. Allow people the same time to repent that you want. Master anger and release people and free yourself. You cannot tie someone else down to a past wrong and not also be tying yourself down. What robber ties up both the victim and himself? Think about it.
• When anger is being held on to it is being cherished. The flesh (e.g. old man/old nature/ wicked heart) will cherish what it likes. This is severely troubling because we should really only cherish God and people. Not even tangible things are that important. Notwithstanding, this sort of cherishing, as theologian J.Gill points out (see above), is why we should not go to bed for the night angry at anyone. Your flesh actually values unjust anger because it gratifies (e.g. satisfies) both itself and the devil. Moreover, God is glorified by what's generated from your revived spirit. Satan is gratified by the wickedness of the flesh. Now, please carefully consider the following definition and synonyms for cherish: (1) to hold on or treat as dear, (2) to care for tenderly as a child, and (3) to cling to fondly. Foster. Harbor. Cherish, foster, harbor each imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something. Cherish suggests regarding or treating something as an object of affection or as valuable: to cherish a friendship. Foster implies sustaining and nourishing something with care, especially in order to promote, increase, or strengthen it: to foster a hope; to foster enmity. Harbor suggests giving shelter to or entertaining something undesirable, especially evil thoughts or intentions: to harbor malice or a grudge. Nurse. Nourish. Sustain. Treasure. NONE OF THIS SHOULD, IN WILDEST STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, BE ASSOCIATED WITH A BELIEVER'S ANGER. Unfortunately, the flesh is wicked and completely deceitful. Unjust, lengthy anger is deceptive. Be not deceived any longer. God will help you every time.
• Throughout the Bible, night- the period when the sun has gone down, is seen as a period of time when evil is manifested. "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" reveals a great proverb. Darkness is associated with evil while Light with righteousness. Although metaphoric and proverbial, the underlying ideal is clear: When you allow anger to continue and linger you've now entered into a 'spiritual nighttime' state in relation to the offense. Now, Satan is skilled in and at darkness. He's a professional. Even in hell there is no light. Additionally, before God said, "let there be light", Satan was here on earth with his fallen company of angels in total darkness. Consequently, as we see or operate better in light, Satan actually sees or operates better in darkness. Sin is darkness. Unexpired anger is unjust and darkness. Hatred or contempt is darkness. All kinds of evil imaginations and ideas are conceived, then birthed, in darkness. Anger shifts levels up toward hatred. Be watchful. Revenging thoughts reveal that your anger has shifted to darkness. However, forgiveness and release happens in the light of God's love. Reel your anger inside the house of forgiveness and release before it gets dark. As it is with Day and Night, darkness is sure to come before long.

Along with talking to God, here are a few questions you might quickly consider asking yourself to ensure you don't hold on to anger too long:

(1) How long have I been angry? This is the most important question. Time is of the essence. You don't have time to investigate everything about the offense if you're going to release it. Of course, you need to clearly understand what happened, but the lengths some take to get there is not productive. You really don't need to know all the details of a wrong. It's the 'rights' that you want to stick. We discussed in an earlier part that rehearsal and review of a wrong is non-valuable.
(2) Why have I been angry this long? Is it a repetitive act that's occurring against me? Is it a fact or is my perception drawing conclusions? Am I just holding on because I think I have a right to? Be honest with yourself if you want honest progress. As always, be prayerful more about you than the offender.
(3) If it's been over a day, week, month, etc. and I'm still angry, do I want to be un-angry? The best answer is yes. However, if no, then just be aware of the things we've mentioned above and thus far in this blog series. God's judgment may now be pending for you in diverse forms. See the parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-35.
(4) If the answer to #3 is yes, then what should I do today to release this anger? This is an emergency. Approach God in prayer and listen and be watchful for His answer and direction. Also, seek professional counseling if necessary. Some suggests communication with the offender. Nothing long and drawn out, but basically letting them know that you're not angry any more with them and that you've forgiven them. This is usually important in close relationships. People (and you too) need to know by words and complementary actions that others are not angry with them anyone. God even told us such through His word; particularly with the Israelites of the Old Testament. He told them through the mouth of some prophet every time He forgave them. Conversely, such talks are not always necessary. Some wrongs are minor (e.g. minimal effects on minimal components) and shouldn't require it. Interestingly though, it does highlight the fact that you've been angry a while over something minor. Even still, you can release your anger, forgive, and move on without such talks right off. Again, God set a forgiving plan in motion for us through Christ before we were even born. We read it in the Bible, but its after the fact for the New Testament believer. Finally, such talks may even be impractical or unreasonable depending upon the nature and specifics of the offense. Be wise in your dealings.
(5) Let this renew your mind about how you interact with anger. Never suspect yourself to be above falling in this area. Conversely, if you do fall, you still have a responsibility to get up and regain your stance. You cannot be unjustly angry and justly forgive. RELEASE, FORGIVE, and LIVE again. God wants to help you more than know. He wants you better, much better.

THE SHAPE OF ANGER - Part II

II. EXTENT: the level/intensity of anger
Now, further reviewing the scripture noted in Part I, Ephesians 4:26 says, "Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." We've already looked at the "a" part of this verse (above); now let's examine the "b" part. As I noted in Part I, 'and sin not' reveals that even acceptable anger can become sin if its extent or expression is not tapered. Anger should not become excessive or overly extreme. If it does, it has become sin.

- If anger consumes your thoughts, impairs your judgment, or severely impacts your actions, then you've allowed it to become excessive. God did not originally create mankind to be consumed with anger. See the Ecclesiastes 7:9 discussion in Part I.

- If anger begins to negatively affect your health or physical body then you've allowed it to become excessive. Is preserving your anger more important than preserving your health?

- If you strike, curse, or begin to hate someone or something, then it's excessive. Hatred is the end result of undiluted anger. You cannot love and hate at the same time. Many, many wars, fightings, and contentions among mankind have continued for centuries because of ill-advised anger leading the hearts of men. Some contentions have even been passed from generation to generation. Long-standing family feuds, community feuds, church or religious feuds, political feuds, and such like all stem from some unhealthy anger. Where is the burying of hatchets for the sake of peace and prosperity of the whole?

- If you are mentally developing plans to take revenge or retaliate, then it is excessive. Constant payback-like thinking reveals an unjust anger level. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. He does the repaying. You cannot try and force a harvest by your hands for a negative seed sown in your life by someone else. Allow God time and room to deal choicely with those that have purposely sinned against you. God withholds judgment on them until your retaliation efforts are deferred. Your response to what happens to you is crucial in determining the ultimate outcome. NOTE: God does not punish people for accidental wrongs or wrongs committed ignorantly. They’re called mistakes and you make them too. Only what was intentional and premeditated can be considered a seed sown. Is this not what the farmer does when planting crops for a harvest? It’s an intentional work.

- If you begin to not care about the object of your anger then it's become excessive. To purposely not care about an object, particularly a person, is hatred. Utter disgust. In this state, your anger has become sin. Even worse, hatred in the NT is considered murder (I John 3:15).

Now, in conjunctions with the above evaluations, if we've judged our anger to be of the right purpose, there are at least a couple of questions we might quickly consider asking ourselves to ensure we don't go overboard.

(1) Can I be less angry? If so, what can I do to calm down? Reading scripture, taking a quick deep breath, and/or a temporary removal from the situation are all ideas that could help you calm down. There are hosts of other things too you might do to achieve the same. Know yourself and do what works, although seek God for the best means. God did not intend for mankind to quickly or frequently be in a state of anger. If this is you, be prayerful so God can heal and instruct you about you. Undoubtedly, this is a sign that something deeper may be the culprit. Sometimes unresolved items, even from childhood, may lie dormant until the right environment allows it expression.

(2) What did or am I doing (or omitting to do) to remain angry at this level? People really cannot make us angry; it is a choice we make. Determine what you’re doing or not doing to maintain that level of anger. When discovered, change it for your own good. Nonetheless, usually rehearsal, exaggeration, or assumptive thinking are the culprits.

Part III next...

THE SHAPE OF ANGER - Part I

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...

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.

• You cannot hold on to and release something at the same time. Neither can you grasp what should be held on to.

Part I next...

Quick Word: Are You Flying Too Low?

TRUE STORY:  While driving one day, a woman almost saw a low flying bird smash into her front windshield. She quickly moved her foot off the accelerator allowing the bird to fly safely by. This incident intrigued the woman deeply. Being a child of God, she asked Him a question, "God, why do some birds fly so low when they have the capability of flying so high?" God replied, "Why do you?"
ASK YOURSELF, AM I FLYING TOO LOW IN LIFE ALL THE WHILE HAVING THE CAPABILITY TO FLY SO MUCH HIGHER?

Fly higher, because He's made you capable of doing so!

Philippians 4:13 - For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT)

Quick Word: Convenience?

Are you waiting on convenience (a perceived ideal condition, circumstance, or environment)? Is there something or some things that you know you need to do or say that you're waiting on a more convenient time to do so? If so, the convenience that you seek may never come.

From studying the Scriptures and my own life I've discovered that if God is anywhere involved in encouraging you to do or say something, then obeying Him earlier than later is the right choice. Besides, delayed obedience usually means that conditions, circumstances, and/or environments pushed the thing out. Just ask some of our spiritual ancestors like Adam, Abraham, Saul, and David. Even closer than them, think back, and ask yourself!

Folks, no matter if it's good news, bad news, a blessing, reproof or correction...do it! Of course, use discretion and God's wisdom, but don't allow that to become an excuse for procrastination.

• Do what you can when you can.
• Do what you must when you must.
• What needs to be said or done will still need to be said or done. God doesn't change His mind that easily!
• Don't postpone what God is telling you to do or say. It has immediate benefits for you AND the person or persons to be involved. God doesn't have to reveal the benefits to us. After all, He is God, right? :)
• The convenient time to obey God is always when He tells you. He knows the unrealized conditions, circumstances, and or environments that you can't see. What's not convenient to you might just actually be convenient to Him.

DsW

Quick Word: "Don't Eat It OR Feed It"

Don't Eat What You Don't Like or Need and Don't Feed What You Don't Want to Grow...it's simple really! God doesn't have a desire to make things difficult for anyone. Allow what's written below to minister to your life and pass it along.

(1) You cannot overcome the devil that you're in the bed with. Put it out the bed of your mind and life!

(2) You cannot overcome the devil you feed. The devil I'm referring to is the 'devil-trained' flesh. The devil-trained flesh is fed primarily through these mediums: eyes (what you look at), ears (what you listen to), mouth (what you say), and mind (what you think). A person voluntarily chooses how to use each of these mediums. What you look at, what you listen to, what you say, and what you think is ALL your choice. Satan himself doesn't even choose for you. You must choose wisely and never blame others for your choice of medium, use of that medium, and the results from the usage. The mediums do not change but you control what information, positive or negative, that constantly flows thru them.

(3) Now, more on the flesh: Your flesh is not saved. If or when you accepted Jesus Christ, your spirit was saved/renewed, but your flesh held steady. The flesh is the old, unregenerated man, the sin nature which was inherited from our first father - Adam.

(4) Don't feed or feed on what you don't like or need. Recognize and/or allow God to reveal to you your fleshy appetites. You can't stop feeding what you don't realize that you have been.

(5)  Don't feed or feed on past hurts. The creation of the wound may've been someone else's fault, but the continuation of the wound is up to you.

(6) A damaged mind likes damaged things! According to Scripture we should allow our minds to be renewed by the Word of God. So, renew and reuse your mind by the Word!

(7) Whatever causes a fire sustains a fire and whatever extinguishes a fire prevents a fire! It has been said that "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires." You can extinguish and prevent fires in your life.

For more insight on this, review blog labels: Discipline, Flesh, Mind, Old Man, Sin Nature, Soul, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare, and Thoughts. See below.

DsW

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...

Love Thinks

Hello good people, this past Sunday morning the Lord woke me up around 4:30 and I began to meditate on how LOVE does not take account or keep records of wrongs. As I laid in the bed I determined, when I got fully up, to locate the scripture and take a deeper look at it. Allow me to share what the Lord shared with me. Here we go...
The Apostle Paul begins his discussion on the exercising of your ministry giftedness through love in I Corinthians 13. Most of us immediately recognize this chapter as the "Love" chapter. It's refreshing because, for a quick evaluation of your love walk, you can start here anytime! Thank God for such a powerful written "love" road map! Besides, as Kingdom citizens, we should be performing scriptural self-evaluations on a consistent basis.

Now, first Corinthians, chapter thirteen (13); verse five (5) says this:

LOVE...doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, or thinketh no evil;

What the Lord showed me revolves around the last portion of the scripture - "thinketh no evil". On the surface, this portion of the scripture suggests that love doesn't spend countless hours studying or meditating on evil ideas, wrongs done, bad treatment, offences, and such like. This is a great start for anyone! In other words, it's a complete waste or abuse rather, of time, energy, and capacity to focus much on evil ideas and how you've been mistreated. Candidly, if the truth be told we haven't always treated others especially well either. Sometimes harvest returns to us in unfamiliar places (Galatians 6:7). Nevertheless, this is not the central idea of this verse.

Upon further review of the verse, particularly in the original Greek language, the phrase "thinketh no evil" is rendered "take not account or not impute evil". The word "thinketh" means to take an inventory, estimate, reason or conclude. Therefore Paul is saying that love, specifically the agape love of God (which all believers possess - Romans 5:5) does NOT:  (1) take inventory of wrongs done, bad treatment, or offences similar to how retail stores do when restocking merchandise. Nor does it (2) estimate, reason, infer, or conclude evil motives/actions in a situation where all facts are clearly unknown. Therefore, allowing for the benefit of the doubt (believeth all things - verse 7) is the natural spiritual progression.

So the main idea is this: love ACTUALLY DOES think, take inventory, and/or concludes (as the original Greek language suggest), but NOT OF EVIL, but OF GOOD. Love, being God Himself, takes account of, records, concludes, on the good done. This is exactly how God interacts with us even though we're imperfect. His thoughts towards us are continually good, even when we sin (Jeremiah 29:11). His focus is never consistently on where we've erred but on what we've done well (Psalms 103:12). Therefore since God is the creator and master of love, He is our prime example! Plan to implement His loving approach toward others and continually reevaluate how you're doing.

Begin reflecting on the good done for and toward you. Thank God and someone again today, even if it's been years since they did good towards you! It has been said that people don't have to be nice, but when they do; be grateful for more than a minute. No man is an island to himself, nor is that man on an island with just God! God is indeed great to us personally and through the aid of people!

"Conquer Friendly" Trials

Greetings good people,

I just had to share this powerful FB conversation:

Elton Taylor, Jr. - "Everything you encounter has already been designed for you to conquer." GOD is so good! Let's elevate our thinking to this perspective, people of GOD. Whatever GOD allows to cross your path, just know that it's a set-up for you to win!"

My response - "...this is such a revolutionary word directly from the God. Check this out: 1 Corinthians 10:13a says that- “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (NIV 1984’). So, not only will God not allow more to occur in your life than you can handle- He cannot allow more! He’s just that faithful to His own Word. Therefore, as you noted- every trial, test, uncomfortable circumstance, etc. that faces us is personally designed by God to be “conquer friendly”. Praise GOD! Everything is “conquer friendly” because of the power of Christ on the inside! Ok, ok, ok, I better stop typing now because I feel like shouting, preaching, running, etc.!"

DsW

Extend The Grace

"Freely you have received, therefore freely give."

Just a quick note on extending grace to others...

All too often, in a moment of frustration or dissatisfaction with someone (e.g. relative, co-worker, friend, etc.) we fail to extend to them the same grace that God consistently extends to us. This day, make a conscious effort to renew your mind in the spirit of grace. Let us not be too hard or critical concerning another's failure to honour a command of God or even a personal request. At that moment, let us become consciousness of God's grace in our own lives and then extend such grace to others. Writer and theologian C.S. Lewis captures our human, nonetheless adjustable condition concerning this:

"This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people."

--The Case for Christianity
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

A Final Note:
Since we are living in the dispensation of grace: from God toward man. It should be then reciprocated from man toward man!

DSW

A Memorable Quote - Dec 09'

Greetings everyone!

I just wanted to share this brief quote that I read during a recent study. I'm sure it will be a blessing to you as it was to me.

Lewis S. Chafer (1871-1952) - the renowned evangelist, bible teacher, and founder of the Dallas Theological Seminary (originally Evangelical Theological College) once wrote:

"When led of the Spirit, the child of God must be as ready to wait as to go, and as prepared to be silent as to speak."

Scripture ref. Romans 8:14

Be sure to post your comments!
DSW

Elevate the Reliability of Your Words

Greetings everyone,

Some time after prayer and Word study this morning I began to meditate on God's faithfulness to his Word. God's flawless integrity is unmistakeably clear in that he will always be found following through on what he said. Look at what the estranged prophet Balaam had to say about this:

Numbers 23:19 - God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Of course Balaam had originally been invited by Balak, king of the Moabites, to curse the Israelites in chapter 22. However, as we discover in chapter 23 and onward, Balaam could not curse- but only bless them as the Lord commanded. The Lord had already declared his people blessed (22:12) and he would permit no reversal of that declaration.

Now, at one time or another, we have all heard the saying: "If God said it, He will do it and if He spoke it, He will bring it to pass." This is true and God is certainly to be magnified for such great commitment to his Word. But what about us as believers?

Can people rely on us to follow through on our words? Do we personally honor the words we speak? Of course no one is perfect, and it's obvious that we all forget things spoken at one time or another. However, can we honestly say that more often than not our words are reliable?

As believers, integrated into our calling is the purpose to demonstrate God on the earth. Since God is faithful to His Word, we should be faithful to our words. We are indeed the light of the world and we represent him. God wants people on earth to have 'Heaven-like experiences' by our hands. This is what God intended for us in the beginning. Adam was on the earth what God is in Heaven. It is into this vacuum that I write. We must ensure that the integrity of our words remain intact as God's Word does.

Of course we should be discretionary about what we say as to not create avoidable circumstances. We certainly don't want to put ourselves in any sort of bondage. Moreover, there are times when things we've spoken must be changed or revised to accomodate a changing circumstance or new information. In these circumstances the Holy Spirit will be our guide if sought.

So let today be the day that you make (or renew) the decision to "elevate the reliability of your words."

In His Service,

DsW

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.

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.