Have you ever heard someone say that? Or maybe, “I just can’t help it!” These are usually excuses kids make when they do something wrong. A lot of times, after getting caught hitting another child, they’ll say something like, “But they made me so mad!” We all know this: it’s a sign of maturity to accept responsibility for our own actions. Right? There has to be a day in everyone’s life when they realize that they can control themselves!
This is even more true for believers! Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The more time we spend driving our roots into God’s presence, the more we will be competent enough to control ourselves.
Self-control is vital for a believer. In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 25:28 says; “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” Apparently, self-control works like a defense for your life. We all know someone who’s life look like it’s been broken apart. Many times, they’ve fallen apart because they never took control of their life. Granted, not every problem in life is caused by the lack of self-control. But trust me on this, if you don’t learn to control yourself, your life will break down!
Just like the world has a counterfeit of joy (called happiness), a counterfeit kindness (called tolerance), and a counterfeit goodness (bigotry) - it also possesses a counterfeit self-control. When the world speaks of self-control, it is often referring to a gym attendance or to denying your appetite for something sweet. That’s certainly a great place to start, but Christian self-control goes far beyond the physical realm.
When the world speaks of self-control, it’s referring to your soul controlling your body. When the Bible speaks of self-control, it’s referring to your spirit controlling your soul. When this fruit of the Spirit starts to manifest in a believer’s life, he begins to understand that he is in control of his desires, his emotions, and even his thoughts. As the Holy Spirit produces self-control inside our spirit, we’ll be able to stop our soul from running away with our lives.
If there was ever a time to manifest this fruit of the Spirit, it’s now! In today’s society, there are fewer and fewer roadblocks to doing whatever you want. Without self-control, you may find yourself on the other side of some very wrong decisions, wondering what happened. Why? Because it’s easier than ever to let your soulish emotions and carnal desires rule your life. In fact, American culture has degenerated so far that believers who keep their soul in check are often considered strange.
“What? You’re waiting till you get married? No one does that anymore!”
“Are you going to let him walk all over you, just because he’s the boss?”
“Be serious - you’ve never had a drink?”
“It’s not tax evasion, it’s a ‘loophole’ - besides, they never check these things anyway!”
You see, 2 Timothy 3 gives a clear picture of what will happen to the world in the end times. Read this and see if you notice these things in the world right now. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
Notice, right at the center of this list is “without self-control.” Isn’t that what’s happening now? Hasn’t our society done everything it can to avoid personal responsibility for people’s actions? It isn’t rebellion, it’s Attention Deficit Disorder - they can’t control themselves. It isn’t drunkenness, it’s alcoholism - they’re sick. It’s not immorality (it’s not even a choice) - they were born that way. It isn’t an outburst of wrath - their genetic code gives them a predisposition to violence.
Even in the church - where freedom should reign - we’ve locked people into their “problems”. We’ve kept people in depression, lust, addictions, and anger by telling them that they don’t have a choice, they’re sick. We’ve tried to hold support groups, but they still live in fear of returning to the bottle. We’ve tried medication, only to have it make their depression worse. We’ve been afraid to confront, for fear of driving them away.
When are we going to understand? The world struggles with these things - but Jesus came to set us free! When you gave your life to Jesus, He broke the hold that these things had on you. The old you may have been addicted, but that man died when you got saved. That other kid may have been diagnosed as ADD....but now you’re a new creation in Christ Jesus! Now the fruit of self-control is growing in your life! Now you can stop yourself! Now you have nothing stopping you from living the life that Jesus died to give you!
Showing posts with label fruit of the Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit of the Spirit. Show all posts
Monday, May 7, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
"Can't I Have My Way Once In A While?"
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (Literally meekness), self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Meekness is a very misunderstood and misused word. Some people think meekness means being a pushover and never speaking up. Others think meekness means being shy or timid. We know neither of these are true, because Jesus called Himself meek in Matthew 11:29. Jesus was never shy, and He was never quiet in the face of wickedness. If there’s one thing we know for sure, Jesus was never afraid of offending people!
Misunderstanding meekness isn’t a new thing. Even in Jesus’ day this characteristic was confusing people. The Greek word for meekness - “praotēs” - is considered to be one of the more untranslatable words in the Greek language. Even when Greek was the common language, praotēs was something that was despised and rejected as weakness.
So what does it mean? What is this fruit of meekness that the Holy Spirit produces in our life?
Let’s get this misconception out of the way first; meekness does not mean you’re passive toward evil! Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was meek, but he personally gave the order to execute every idolater that worshipped the golden calf. Jesus called Himself meek and He beat the corrupt merchants in the temple with a whip....twice! Paul was a meek man (he was even picked on because of it - 2 Corinthians 10:10), but he commanded that a church turn one of their own over to Satan! True meekness doesn’t turn men into mice.
According to James Strong, “meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.” Meekness is denying yourself. Real meekness is when you refuse to get angry because you’re not getting your way. It’s refusing the desire to “get back” at someone. When you’re meek, you lay down your self-righteousness and submit to whatever God has for you!
True meekness is described in Ephesians 4:1 - “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness (praotēs - meekness) and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” When you bear with someone’s flaws and faults, when you do everything you can to preserve unity, when you give up your right to be angry to preserve peace - that’s when you’re walking in true meekness.
What about when someone is obviously doing something wrong? Does meekness mean we can’t confront them? Not at all - it will often lead you to confront and correct. But when the fruit of meekness is in your life, it will change the reason you confront them.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 shows us the right attitude for correction in the body of Christ. “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility (praotēs - meekness) correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
When you confront someone in meekness, it is never from a self-important or self-righteous standpoint. You confront that person in a spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1) to try and rescue them from what is going to hurt them. This is the attitude that Jesus had on the cross. As the priests, the jews and the Roman soldiers were crucifying Him - Jesus was only concerned about their spiritual well-being. His prayer was, “Father, forgive them...” Not once did Jesus assert His “rights.”
So being meek doesn’t mean you never get angry. In fact, Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26 tell us that there is a time to be angry (without sinning). But check your motives. Are you angry because of what they did to you? Are you really confronting a person in sin to help them - or are you trying to make yourself look righteous? Meekness, like every other fruit of the Spirit, has little to do with your actions and everything to do with your attitudes.
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Meekness is a very misunderstood and misused word. Some people think meekness means being a pushover and never speaking up. Others think meekness means being shy or timid. We know neither of these are true, because Jesus called Himself meek in Matthew 11:29. Jesus was never shy, and He was never quiet in the face of wickedness. If there’s one thing we know for sure, Jesus was never afraid of offending people!
Misunderstanding meekness isn’t a new thing. Even in Jesus’ day this characteristic was confusing people. The Greek word for meekness - “praotēs” - is considered to be one of the more untranslatable words in the Greek language. Even when Greek was the common language, praotēs was something that was despised and rejected as weakness.
So what does it mean? What is this fruit of meekness that the Holy Spirit produces in our life?
Let’s get this misconception out of the way first; meekness does not mean you’re passive toward evil! Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was meek, but he personally gave the order to execute every idolater that worshipped the golden calf. Jesus called Himself meek and He beat the corrupt merchants in the temple with a whip....twice! Paul was a meek man (he was even picked on because of it - 2 Corinthians 10:10), but he commanded that a church turn one of their own over to Satan! True meekness doesn’t turn men into mice.
According to James Strong, “meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.” Meekness is denying yourself. Real meekness is when you refuse to get angry because you’re not getting your way. It’s refusing the desire to “get back” at someone. When you’re meek, you lay down your self-righteousness and submit to whatever God has for you!
True meekness is described in Ephesians 4:1 - “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness (praotēs - meekness) and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” When you bear with someone’s flaws and faults, when you do everything you can to preserve unity, when you give up your right to be angry to preserve peace - that’s when you’re walking in true meekness.
What about when someone is obviously doing something wrong? Does meekness mean we can’t confront them? Not at all - it will often lead you to confront and correct. But when the fruit of meekness is in your life, it will change the reason you confront them.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 shows us the right attitude for correction in the body of Christ. “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility (praotēs - meekness) correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
When you confront someone in meekness, it is never from a self-important or self-righteous standpoint. You confront that person in a spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1) to try and rescue them from what is going to hurt them. This is the attitude that Jesus had on the cross. As the priests, the jews and the Roman soldiers were crucifying Him - Jesus was only concerned about their spiritual well-being. His prayer was, “Father, forgive them...” Not once did Jesus assert His “rights.”
So being meek doesn’t mean you never get angry. In fact, Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26 tell us that there is a time to be angry (without sinning). But check your motives. Are you angry because of what they did to you? Are you really confronting a person in sin to help them - or are you trying to make yourself look righteous? Meekness, like every other fruit of the Spirit, has little to do with your actions and everything to do with your attitudes.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Soft But Strong
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
People are often confused about the fruits of kindness and goodness in a believer’s life. Maybe it’s because different words are used in different translations. Maybe it’s because they stop paying attention to this list as soon as they read “patience”. Maybe it’s because they think they know what it means already. But I want you to see that kindness and goodness are necessary in a believer’s life! Not only does every Christian need these two characteristics, they need each other to work properly!
You see, the fruit of kindness and the fruit of goodness balance each other out.
Kindness is probably the fruit the world expects from Christians. If you were to describe it in today’s terms, this fruit makes you “nice”. This is beyond a smile and cheerful words - this is an action word!
Like all the fruit of the Spirit, kindness is an attribute of God Himself! Ephesians 2:7 says, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” The riches of God’s grace are given to us in kindness! According to Titus 3:4-5, it was God’s kindness that saved us!
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Here we see that kindness is attached to mercy!
In Luke 6:35 Jesus tells us that we are supposed to possess the same kind of kindness that God has. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
A believer is required to be kind, even to his enemies!
Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to our brothers and sisters - even if they’ve wronged us! “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” If you’re ignoring, avoiding, and being hostile to a brother or sister because of what they did to you - you’re lacking God’s kind of kindness in your life!
Godly kindness is not optional or disposable! It is absolutely necessary to keep the love of God alive in our hearts. Still, kindness cannot be unbalanced in a believer’s life.
Kindness is not tolerance of sin! It was never intended to be an excuse for compromise. It is never right to be kind to the oppressor at the expense of the oppressed. When injustice is allowed - when the wicked go free in society - it’s not God’s kind of kindness.
You see, sometimes speaking the truth isn’t always the world’s idea of being kind. But is it really a kind thing to let a sinner continue in their sin and not confront them? Jesus was always kind, but He was always good also!
Goodness is an internal conviction of right and wrong. It is a strong uprightness of heart. Today we call it “character.” Kindness is about how we treat others, goodness is about right and wrong! Goodness is sometimes direct, and many worldly people view it as mean-spirited. But goodness is not cruel or mean. In fact, a good person will confront a cruel person about their cruelty!
Goodness refuses to back down to evil. Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Luke 23 calls Joseph of Arimathea a “good man” because he openly disagreed with the pharisee’s condemnation of Jesus. Romans 15:14 tells us that a believer’s goodness will admonish, or warn others about sin! So can you see that goodness isn’t always perceived as kind?
Kindness and goodness need each other!
Kindness without goodness to strengthen it is simply tolerance. It brings no change to the sinner. It brings no conviction. It simply leaves people to the consequences of their own sin for fear of confrontation.
Goodness without kindness to soften it is damaging. We are required to speak the truth in love. When a believer to be brash and arrogant when confronting sin, it usually hurts the hearer. We are never called to condemn the sinner with his sin! There’s a baby somewhere in that dirty bath water!
The cross is the best example of God’s kindness and goodness. At the cross, God’s goodness toward sin was poured out on Jesus. He didn’t ignore the penalty of our sin, but He poured it out on Jesus. He did this to show us His kindness!
People are often confused about the fruits of kindness and goodness in a believer’s life. Maybe it’s because different words are used in different translations. Maybe it’s because they stop paying attention to this list as soon as they read “patience”. Maybe it’s because they think they know what it means already. But I want you to see that kindness and goodness are necessary in a believer’s life! Not only does every Christian need these two characteristics, they need each other to work properly!
You see, the fruit of kindness and the fruit of goodness balance each other out.
Kindness is probably the fruit the world expects from Christians. If you were to describe it in today’s terms, this fruit makes you “nice”. This is beyond a smile and cheerful words - this is an action word!
Like all the fruit of the Spirit, kindness is an attribute of God Himself! Ephesians 2:7 says, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” The riches of God’s grace are given to us in kindness! According to Titus 3:4-5, it was God’s kindness that saved us!
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Here we see that kindness is attached to mercy!
In Luke 6:35 Jesus tells us that we are supposed to possess the same kind of kindness that God has. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
A believer is required to be kind, even to his enemies!
Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to our brothers and sisters - even if they’ve wronged us! “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” If you’re ignoring, avoiding, and being hostile to a brother or sister because of what they did to you - you’re lacking God’s kind of kindness in your life!
Godly kindness is not optional or disposable! It is absolutely necessary to keep the love of God alive in our hearts. Still, kindness cannot be unbalanced in a believer’s life.
Kindness is not tolerance of sin! It was never intended to be an excuse for compromise. It is never right to be kind to the oppressor at the expense of the oppressed. When injustice is allowed - when the wicked go free in society - it’s not God’s kind of kindness.
You see, sometimes speaking the truth isn’t always the world’s idea of being kind. But is it really a kind thing to let a sinner continue in their sin and not confront them? Jesus was always kind, but He was always good also!
Goodness is an internal conviction of right and wrong. It is a strong uprightness of heart. Today we call it “character.” Kindness is about how we treat others, goodness is about right and wrong! Goodness is sometimes direct, and many worldly people view it as mean-spirited. But goodness is not cruel or mean. In fact, a good person will confront a cruel person about their cruelty!
Goodness refuses to back down to evil. Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Luke 23 calls Joseph of Arimathea a “good man” because he openly disagreed with the pharisee’s condemnation of Jesus. Romans 15:14 tells us that a believer’s goodness will admonish, or warn others about sin! So can you see that goodness isn’t always perceived as kind?
Kindness and goodness need each other!
Kindness without goodness to strengthen it is simply tolerance. It brings no change to the sinner. It brings no conviction. It simply leaves people to the consequences of their own sin for fear of confrontation.
Goodness without kindness to soften it is damaging. We are required to speak the truth in love. When a believer to be brash and arrogant when confronting sin, it usually hurts the hearer. We are never called to condemn the sinner with his sin! There’s a baby somewhere in that dirty bath water!
The cross is the best example of God’s kindness and goodness. At the cross, God’s goodness toward sin was poured out on Jesus. He didn’t ignore the penalty of our sin, but He poured it out on Jesus. He did this to show us His kindness!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Stable
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit the Holy Spirit produces is love, joy and peace. It is being patient, kind and good. It is being faithful and gentle and having control of oneself. There is no law against things of that kind.”
The Greek word translated as patience or long-suffering is “makrothymia”. It’s used about 14 times in the New Testament, 5 times in reference to God Himself. Of course God would have this kind of patience, after all this isn’t the fruit of the Christian…it’s the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot manifest this fruit by ourselves. It isn’t a result, it isn’t even a reward - it’s a fruit. We don’t work for patience, we allow it to grow. The more time we spend with the Holy Spirit, the more these fruit come out in our everyday life.
The word translated as patience - “makrothymia” - has two principle meanings:
The first meaning is what we normally think of as “patience”. That is to say endurance, longsuffering, or being slow to avenge yourself. It’s about how long you can wait for something or how far you can put up with someone. This is how makrothymia is used in Ephesians 4:2, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
Colossians 3:12-13 tells us why believer’s should be patient with each other. “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Makrothymia is also used to describe God’s endurance with sinners in Romans 9:22 “In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, He is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15 says that it is God’s patience that gives sinners time to repent. So God’s patience with us, His willingness to put up with the crazy things people do, is an absolute lifesaver!
The second meaning of makrothymia is different than endurance and longsuffering. Patience also means stability. It isn’t just how long we can wait, it’s how long we can wait without changing. Christ-like patience means it doesn’t matter what happens, we remain the same.
This meaning of patience is brought out in Hebrews 6:11-12, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Do you see it? We’re supposed to imitate those men and women who patiently inherited the promises - the ones who consistently did what they were commanded. You see, this is more than “putting up” with someone! This type of patience means that no matter what happens…you refuse to change what you believe.
Actually, there is another Greek word (often translated as “patience” also) that brings out this side of our patience. This word is “hypomone”. This is essentially being stable and unswerving in what you believe. For a believer, it means you get off the roller coaster. You’’re not up one day and down the next. When this fruit is matured in a Christian’s life, no outside circumstance can ever change what they believe - or how they behave.
This is the kind of patience Hebrews 12:1 speaks of. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” In other words, let’s throw off the sin that tangles us up and just be consistent!
If you want to live a successful Spiritual life, consistency and stability are crucial! No one can be on top of things one day and then under the circumstances the next day and still expect to succeed spiritually.
Jacob’s oldest son Reuben was an example of a life that failed because of a lack of stability. Reuben was the firstborn and he had the legal privilege to inherit the birthright. But he disqualified himself because of his instability. Genesis 49:3-4 says, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel..” Reuben knew what was right, sometimes he even did what was right. Remember, he saved Joseph from his other brothers! But there was two sides to this man. He was constantly wavering back and forth between right and wrong. Because of this instability, this lack of patience, He disqualified himself.
Remember, a person who continues in two natures will usually settle into the lower one - the sinful one. It’s important to stay stable in the new life God gave you!
So have a look at your life. Are you constantly moving back and forth between two natures? Do you feel like Jekyll and Hyde? You’re in need of the fourth fruit of the Spirit, my friend! Patience - stability - will grow naturally when you spend time every day in God’s presence!
James 5:7-8 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
The Greek word translated as patience or long-suffering is “makrothymia”. It’s used about 14 times in the New Testament, 5 times in reference to God Himself. Of course God would have this kind of patience, after all this isn’t the fruit of the Christian…it’s the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot manifest this fruit by ourselves. It isn’t a result, it isn’t even a reward - it’s a fruit. We don’t work for patience, we allow it to grow. The more time we spend with the Holy Spirit, the more these fruit come out in our everyday life.
The word translated as patience - “makrothymia” - has two principle meanings:
The first meaning is what we normally think of as “patience”. That is to say endurance, longsuffering, or being slow to avenge yourself. It’s about how long you can wait for something or how far you can put up with someone. This is how makrothymia is used in Ephesians 4:2, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
Colossians 3:12-13 tells us why believer’s should be patient with each other. “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Makrothymia is also used to describe God’s endurance with sinners in Romans 9:22 “In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, He is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15 says that it is God’s patience that gives sinners time to repent. So God’s patience with us, His willingness to put up with the crazy things people do, is an absolute lifesaver!
The second meaning of makrothymia is different than endurance and longsuffering. Patience also means stability. It isn’t just how long we can wait, it’s how long we can wait without changing. Christ-like patience means it doesn’t matter what happens, we remain the same.
This meaning of patience is brought out in Hebrews 6:11-12, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Do you see it? We’re supposed to imitate those men and women who patiently inherited the promises - the ones who consistently did what they were commanded. You see, this is more than “putting up” with someone! This type of patience means that no matter what happens…you refuse to change what you believe.
Actually, there is another Greek word (often translated as “patience” also) that brings out this side of our patience. This word is “hypomone”. This is essentially being stable and unswerving in what you believe. For a believer, it means you get off the roller coaster. You’’re not up one day and down the next. When this fruit is matured in a Christian’s life, no outside circumstance can ever change what they believe - or how they behave.
This is the kind of patience Hebrews 12:1 speaks of. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” In other words, let’s throw off the sin that tangles us up and just be consistent!
If you want to live a successful Spiritual life, consistency and stability are crucial! No one can be on top of things one day and then under the circumstances the next day and still expect to succeed spiritually.
Jacob’s oldest son Reuben was an example of a life that failed because of a lack of stability. Reuben was the firstborn and he had the legal privilege to inherit the birthright. But he disqualified himself because of his instability. Genesis 49:3-4 says, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel..” Reuben knew what was right, sometimes he even did what was right. Remember, he saved Joseph from his other brothers! But there was two sides to this man. He was constantly wavering back and forth between right and wrong. Because of this instability, this lack of patience, He disqualified himself.
Remember, a person who continues in two natures will usually settle into the lower one - the sinful one. It’s important to stay stable in the new life God gave you!
So have a look at your life. Are you constantly moving back and forth between two natures? Do you feel like Jekyll and Hyde? You’re in need of the fourth fruit of the Spirit, my friend! Patience - stability - will grow naturally when you spend time every day in God’s presence!
James 5:7-8 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Monday, March 19, 2012
What's Different About Your Peace?
Romans 14:15 “for the Kingdom of God is...righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 17:21 “The Kingdom of God is within you.”
The part of God’s Kingdom on earth right now is inside of us, His people. This part of His kingdom is made up of righteousness, peace, and joy. We’ve already learned that joy is not necessarily an emotion, but a decision based on faith. So it shouldn’t be surprising that our peace is also based on faith.
The world is looking for peace. They wish for it every time they get a microphone. They write songs about it. They’ve turned Christmas into the season of world peace. Sadly, there will be no peace in this earth until Jesus comes back to set up the rest of His kingdom. You can read about that in Revelation 20:1-6. Until then, this world is going to see more and more wars - that’s a promise!
You see, the world describes peace as “the absence of conflict.” Everyone in the world is seeking that in their own life. They just want peace and quiet where nothing goes wrong. But that will never happen in a sinner’s life! Isaiah 48:22 says “There is no peace for the wicked.” As long as someone is outside of the Kingdom of God, they will never find peace. Luke 2:14 agrees with this - it says, “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” That’s the English translation. But the Greek literally says “on earth peace toward men with whom He is pleased.” That’s a little different than we’ve heard every Christmas!
Peace for a believer is much different. Jesus said in the first part of John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” You see? His peace is not like the world is looking for! The rest of this verse tells us why it’s different. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.“
The believer’s peace is the responsibility to keep our hearts from being afraid! Peace for a believer is when we’re calm on the inside when all hell is breaking loose on the outside. Just like our joy, our peace is not based on what happening to us. It’s based on what God’s Word promises us. Two chapter later, in John 16:33, we see that our peace is directly connected to what God has said. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.”
So how does a believer stay in this peace? Here are four keys to having the peace of God in your life:
First of all, guard your heart! Jesus directly commanded us not to let our hearts be troubled. Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Not everyone should have the privilege of speaking into your heart. In fact, I would say this; don’t take anything that anyone (your friends, your spouse, your family, your television) says to heart unless you know it agrees with what the Bible teaches! Your heart is too important to let careless words weigh it down.
Guard your mind. Keep it focused on heavenly things. When you’re focused on eternity, temporal things lose their urgency. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” When your mind is stayed on Jesus - it brings peace. Philippians 4:8-9 says the same thing. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” When you keep a tight control on what your brain is thinking, it will lead to peace!
Pray and trust God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This is one of the simplest commands, but it’s still one of the hardest! When your facing a situation, don’t worry! Pray for it in faith and then thank God for the answer! Then the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind!
Stay in God’s Word. Psalm 119:65 “Great peace have they which love Your law (or His Word): and nothing shall offend them.” When you love God’s Word it brings great peace! Not only will you have peace in your life when you love God’s Word, but nothing will be able to offend you! Actually, this is a great test for why you may not have peace in your life. If nothing can offend someone who loves God’s Word, and you’re offended...well you can see the problem, right? I would almost bet that if you’re offended, you’re also in need of peace in your mind. The cure for both offense and inner turmoil is falling in love with God’s Word!
These four things - guarding your heart from careless words, keeping your mind on heavenly things, faith-filled prayer, and a love for God’s Word - will bring God’s peace for you. But only a consistency in these things will keep His peace in your life!
Psalm 4:8 “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Luke 17:21 “The Kingdom of God is within you.”
The part of God’s Kingdom on earth right now is inside of us, His people. This part of His kingdom is made up of righteousness, peace, and joy. We’ve already learned that joy is not necessarily an emotion, but a decision based on faith. So it shouldn’t be surprising that our peace is also based on faith.
The world is looking for peace. They wish for it every time they get a microphone. They write songs about it. They’ve turned Christmas into the season of world peace. Sadly, there will be no peace in this earth until Jesus comes back to set up the rest of His kingdom. You can read about that in Revelation 20:1-6. Until then, this world is going to see more and more wars - that’s a promise!
You see, the world describes peace as “the absence of conflict.” Everyone in the world is seeking that in their own life. They just want peace and quiet where nothing goes wrong. But that will never happen in a sinner’s life! Isaiah 48:22 says “There is no peace for the wicked.” As long as someone is outside of the Kingdom of God, they will never find peace. Luke 2:14 agrees with this - it says, “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” That’s the English translation. But the Greek literally says “on earth peace toward men with whom He is pleased.” That’s a little different than we’ve heard every Christmas!
Peace for a believer is much different. Jesus said in the first part of John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” You see? His peace is not like the world is looking for! The rest of this verse tells us why it’s different. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.“
The believer’s peace is the responsibility to keep our hearts from being afraid! Peace for a believer is when we’re calm on the inside when all hell is breaking loose on the outside. Just like our joy, our peace is not based on what happening to us. It’s based on what God’s Word promises us. Two chapter later, in John 16:33, we see that our peace is directly connected to what God has said. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.”
So how does a believer stay in this peace? Here are four keys to having the peace of God in your life:
First of all, guard your heart! Jesus directly commanded us not to let our hearts be troubled. Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Not everyone should have the privilege of speaking into your heart. In fact, I would say this; don’t take anything that anyone (your friends, your spouse, your family, your television) says to heart unless you know it agrees with what the Bible teaches! Your heart is too important to let careless words weigh it down.
Guard your mind. Keep it focused on heavenly things. When you’re focused on eternity, temporal things lose their urgency. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” When your mind is stayed on Jesus - it brings peace. Philippians 4:8-9 says the same thing. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” When you keep a tight control on what your brain is thinking, it will lead to peace!
Pray and trust God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This is one of the simplest commands, but it’s still one of the hardest! When your facing a situation, don’t worry! Pray for it in faith and then thank God for the answer! Then the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind!
Stay in God’s Word. Psalm 119:65 “Great peace have they which love Your law (or His Word): and nothing shall offend them.” When you love God’s Word it brings great peace! Not only will you have peace in your life when you love God’s Word, but nothing will be able to offend you! Actually, this is a great test for why you may not have peace in your life. If nothing can offend someone who loves God’s Word, and you’re offended...well you can see the problem, right? I would almost bet that if you’re offended, you’re also in need of peace in your mind. The cure for both offense and inner turmoil is falling in love with God’s Word!
These four things - guarding your heart from careless words, keeping your mind on heavenly things, faith-filled prayer, and a love for God’s Word - will bring God’s peace for you. But only a consistency in these things will keep His peace in your life!
Psalm 4:8 “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Friday, March 16, 2012
Are You Happy?
Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...”
Romans 14:17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Have you noticed that people aren’t happy anymore? Everywhere you go, it seems like everyone woke up late, couldn’t get their hair straight, and drank a half-gallon of lemon juice! It is a very rare thing to encounter a truly happy person right now.
But the Bible says that a believer’s life should be full of joy! Romans 14:17 says that joy is one-third of the Kingdom of God within you. Galatians 5:22 says joy is a fruit that should naturally be a part of a Spirit-filled life.
Has this been your experience? Or have you, like me, been having a hard time seeing the difference between the attitude of the world and the attitude of believers? We’ve gotten so caught up in all the bad news and in the condition of this world that we’ve forfeited our happiness.
What we need to realize is, happiness and true joy are not the same thing!
Happiness is fickle. It comes and goes based on the silliest things.
“I’ve got a new pair of shoes, I’m happy now!”
“I got a shaving cut this morning, now I’m not happy.”
Happiness is probably one of the most fragile emotions humans have. It doesn’t take much at all to ruin it. The thing that Christians been to remember is this, happiness is always based on external situations. When those situations change, your happiness changes with it!
The church has been so busy trying to find its own happiness - just something to make me feel good! We’ve forgotten that Jesus never promised us happiness in this life! As long as we’re in this world, things are going to change. And as long as things are changing, happiness will come and go. What we as believers need, is something more lasting. We need joy.
Joy is not based on surroundings - it’s based on faith. 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” The joy that comes from the Holy Spirit says, “it doesn’t matter what I see or don’t see, I trust in God - and because of that, I’m going to rejoice.”
Joy is lasting. As long as your faith is in God, your joy remains. In John 15:11 Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus wants our joy to be lasting, to remain regardless of what’s going on around us.
Joy is a choice, not an emotion. We all know Nehemiah 8:10 - “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” But did you know that Nehemiah was talking to a group of sad, bummed-out people? He was encouraging them to stop looking at their circumstances and rejoice in the Lord! Well, they listened to him. Despite the way they felt, they decided to rejoice. But here’s the best part, as they obeyed Nehemiah and rejoiced, the happiness returned! Remember when I told you that happiness is fickle? Well, true joy (based on faith) will actually produce happiness!
Joy is built up from God’s Word. Jeremiah 15:16 - “And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” If we go back to John 15:11, we can see that joy is based on Jesus’ words. When we spend time in God’s Word, it builds up our joy. Actually, that makes perfect sense! After all, faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17) - and joy is rooted in faith!
Christian, whenever you are feeling discouraged, depressed, sad or fearful; that is the time you need to fall back onto faith and joy. You need to make a decision to rejoice for what you believe! You need to get into the presence of God (Psalm 16:11 “In Your presence is fullness of Joy) and remember what He has done for you. As you do this, as you build yourself up in joy, your happiness will usually return!
The bottom line is, true christian joy is not an emotion! It is a decision from your spirit to trust what God has said!
Romans 14:17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Have you noticed that people aren’t happy anymore? Everywhere you go, it seems like everyone woke up late, couldn’t get their hair straight, and drank a half-gallon of lemon juice! It is a very rare thing to encounter a truly happy person right now.
But the Bible says that a believer’s life should be full of joy! Romans 14:17 says that joy is one-third of the Kingdom of God within you. Galatians 5:22 says joy is a fruit that should naturally be a part of a Spirit-filled life.
Has this been your experience? Or have you, like me, been having a hard time seeing the difference between the attitude of the world and the attitude of believers? We’ve gotten so caught up in all the bad news and in the condition of this world that we’ve forfeited our happiness.
What we need to realize is, happiness and true joy are not the same thing!
Happiness is fickle. It comes and goes based on the silliest things.
“I’ve got a new pair of shoes, I’m happy now!”
“I got a shaving cut this morning, now I’m not happy.”
Happiness is probably one of the most fragile emotions humans have. It doesn’t take much at all to ruin it. The thing that Christians been to remember is this, happiness is always based on external situations. When those situations change, your happiness changes with it!
The church has been so busy trying to find its own happiness - just something to make me feel good! We’ve forgotten that Jesus never promised us happiness in this life! As long as we’re in this world, things are going to change. And as long as things are changing, happiness will come and go. What we as believers need, is something more lasting. We need joy.
Joy is not based on surroundings - it’s based on faith. 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” The joy that comes from the Holy Spirit says, “it doesn’t matter what I see or don’t see, I trust in God - and because of that, I’m going to rejoice.”
Joy is lasting. As long as your faith is in God, your joy remains. In John 15:11 Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus wants our joy to be lasting, to remain regardless of what’s going on around us.
Joy is a choice, not an emotion. We all know Nehemiah 8:10 - “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” But did you know that Nehemiah was talking to a group of sad, bummed-out people? He was encouraging them to stop looking at their circumstances and rejoice in the Lord! Well, they listened to him. Despite the way they felt, they decided to rejoice. But here’s the best part, as they obeyed Nehemiah and rejoiced, the happiness returned! Remember when I told you that happiness is fickle? Well, true joy (based on faith) will actually produce happiness!
Joy is built up from God’s Word. Jeremiah 15:16 - “And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” If we go back to John 15:11, we can see that joy is based on Jesus’ words. When we spend time in God’s Word, it builds up our joy. Actually, that makes perfect sense! After all, faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17) - and joy is rooted in faith!
Christian, whenever you are feeling discouraged, depressed, sad or fearful; that is the time you need to fall back onto faith and joy. You need to make a decision to rejoice for what you believe! You need to get into the presence of God (Psalm 16:11 “In Your presence is fullness of Joy) and remember what He has done for you. As you do this, as you build yourself up in joy, your happiness will usually return!
The bottom line is, true christian joy is not an emotion! It is a decision from your spirit to trust what God has said!
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