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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 5 August 2023:
Jeremiah 29:1-7 – These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Faith, hope, and love involves investing in God’s word and promise, even if no one else is, even when everything seems hopeless to everyone else. It involves putting your everything into a plan, God’s plan, even when others think it will fail. It involves being willing to have children in a sinful world because God said “be fruitful and multiply.” It involves preaching the Gospel when it seems no one wants to hear it. It involves continuing to obey God when obedience seems to be working against you.
Interestingly, when I looked up the word “kingdom” in the Bible, I found two definitions: 1) “A political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign”; 2) “The eternal spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.” God’s people are defined by the second definition, and God warned His people not to put their trust and hope in earthly kings or earthly kingdoms. In fact, in 1 Samuel 8, when God’s people asked for an earthly king, God declared they had rejected God as KING, and that their choice would only lead to ruin. Now, because of their own sin, God’s people were in exile being ruled by an ungodly King – they had lost their political/territorial kingdom because they had rebelled against the Sovereign KING in their hearts. They had gone from being a powerful nation on earth to becoming slaves. Some “prophets,” completely out of touch with what the KING was doing, remained in denial, preaching that God would miraculously destroy their conquerors within a couple of years – a popular message with the people (Jeremiah 28). However, God wanted his people to understand that the KING remains the KING and rules over His people wherever He desires; their problem was not political it was spiritual – in their rebellious hearts, they had denied the Sovereignty of God in their lives. God took away their earthly kingdom that they would “seek first the kingdom of God (the second definition of kingdom) and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) — “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).”
God told His people to pursue prosperity in society while being very careful to remain holy and obedient to the KING and His unchanging word. As some say today, “Be in the world, but not of the world.” Engage the world, but do not compromise your holiness in the process. God was also very clear to His people not to let “prophets” lead them astray from the word of God. Most importantly, God told His people to live boldly in faith and hope — “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Our KING is the KING of Kings who reigns Supreme. God’s people are a “kingdom of priests” living among the earthly kingdoms as “Ambassadors for Christ.” We must influence without being influenced, remaining holy and true to the word of God. Stay in the word as you “abide” in or live in the Word of God, who is Jesus. These passages apply to us today as we live as a Kingdom dispersed among the kingdoms of the world.
Jesus preached under Roman occupation, and everyone wanted Him to change their political situation and solve all their earthly problems. In response, Jesus told them, “Do not be anxious about your life…. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…. (Matthew 6:25, 33),” which Jesus said was, “at hand,” or accessible to everyone right now, a fact which should cause everyone to “repent,” or to change their thinking about everything. (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:7) “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,” which was for the “poor in spirit,” the “children,” and the “persecuted.” (Matthew 9:35, 19:14, 5:3, 5:10) Jesus said, many seemingly unlikely people were entering the kingdom in their earthly lives, even fighting with their lives to get in, while others were missing out on the currently available kingdom life (Matthew 11:12, Matthew 21:31; Matthew 21:43; Matthew 23:13). To most, the kingdom remains a hidden secret though it exists all around them right now, but Jesus has revealed to His true disciples the secret kingdom life and has given them the keys to the kingdom that they may experience eternal life now and display the reality of life in the kingdom like a shining light in a dark world, like a city on a hill. (Matthew 13:11; Matthew 13:44; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10) So, where is this kingdom available to anyone who wants to enter it right now? It is where demons are cast out and “[His] will [is] done on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 12:28, 6:10) The kingdom is where His people are of one heart, mind, and soul with Him and “abide” in Him, naturally producing the fruit of His Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) into the world around them for His glory and for the benefit of others. (See John 17 and John 15). The kingdom doesn’t depend on any earthly institution, earthly leader or particular circumstances – it is not of this world. However, the kingdom does influence people, institutions, and circumstances by its overflow of love and life – “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38) Wherever we find ourselves, we are called to live out the kingdom now and show others the secret to constant contentment and the fullness of joy.
– Jeremiah 31: 33, 34 — I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
– John 18:36 — Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
“Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.” It takes faith, hope, and love to raise children, particularly when times are hard. God told the exiles not to stop having children though they were in captivity. When everyone else is worried about loss, God wants His people to think about growth — “Be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth.”
Jeremiah 29:8, 9 — Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.
If God has not sent the messenger, the messenger is a deceiver. Fidelity to God and daily study of His word will enable you to detect the false prophet or false teaching and protect you against those who claim to speak on behalf of God and who have popular acclaim but who are only liars and destroyers.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Your belief in God’s perfectly loving providence changes how much you are willing to invest in God’s word and commands. Faith, hope, and love generate action, enthusiasm, and passion. God has a great plan for your life if you will turn your heart to Him and obey Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 — You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
There can never be a casual relationship with the Almighty. If you want to know God, you must be wholehearted, serious, fully committed. A half-hearted search for God comes up wanting. Jesus said He will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth.
Jeremiah 29:15-23 — “Because you have said, ‘The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ thus says the LORD concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the LORD, that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the LORD.’ Hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the LORD.’”
If God didn’t build it or bless it, it is doomed. Though God, through the prophets, told the Israelites to accept their exile into a foreign land, many refused to listen and tried to sustain the nation under their own power, contrary to God’s plan. They went through the motions of both government and church, but all of it was meaningless. We don’t tell God what we are going to do for Him, He tells us.
“…because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.” When God judges the nation, the nation will not have the excuse of ignorance of God’s word.
“They have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the Lord.’” God knows the sins of those who have not made restitution or have not sought reconciliation, and He will hold them accountable, even those who proclaim Jesus while hiding the offenses they have committed against others.
Psalm 88 — “I cry out day and night before you…. I am a man who has no strength…. You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep…. You have caused my companions to shun me…. I suffer your terrors; I am helpless…. But I, O Lord, cry to you.”
Psalm 88 has been described as the most sorrowful Psalm in the Bible. The entire Psalm describes utter despair and sorrow from beginning to end and doesn’t seem to end on a positive note. Many believe this psalm reveals a person suffering the consequences of a terrible sin, having isolated themselves from God and others, now pleading for mercy and grace from God. Can you relate to this Psalm? Have you ever been in deep despair (v 3-5), felt forsaken by God (v 6-7), felt abandoned by your friends and family (v 8), felt trapped or helpless (v 8), felt as if you were dying without remedy (v 9-12), felt God had turned His back on you (v 13-14), felt that bad things always happen and nothing ever changes (v 15-17), felt like every day you wake up in darkness (v 18)? If so, Psalm 88 is for you.
God put this Psalm in the Bible so you could know that God understands the full range of human emotions, and that in this broken world we will at times feel this way. The promises of the Redeemer come to people who live in a world where such things take place – no matter how you feel, God knows exactly what you are going through. God wants you to understand that sometimes life will seem overwhelming, and sometimes you might feel like He has abandoned you, though He hasn’t. You are not the first of God’s people to feel defeated at times. God invites you to be honest about what you are feeling and to cry out to Him in faith. Psalm 88 reminds us that during desperate times, we must run to God and not from Him. The Psalmist has poured out his emotions before the Lord, in all honesty, holding back nothing. Do you honestly confess your fears, doubts, struggles, and failures to the Lord in deep prayer?
Knowing that God is love, is all powerful, and desires only the very best for us, we must see our crises differently. In our crises, God is always doing a few things at once: revealing the truth of Himself to us in a greater way, revealing the truth of ourselves to us in a greater way, revealing the truth of this world to us in a greater way, revealing Himself to others through us in a greater way, preparing us for greater things to come, and using us as instruments of His grace and His glory in this world. In your crises, God is reconciling you to Himself, sanctifying you, and glorifying Himself. Trust Him through the process. We will all go through crises, and we will all die a physical death (unless Christ returns in our day). How important is it to have the right perspective on suffering and death?
What is particularly interesting about Psalm 88 is that the title says that it is a song of the Sons of Korah, the doorkeepers of the tabernacle. The Korahites would lead the Israelites in procession to the tent of worship and sacrifice. Why in the world would they want to sing such a depressing song on the way to worship? Because this was a reminder to the people that God invites us to bring our darkest laments to Him and to the family of God – “Come to me as you are, with all your doubt, fear, pain and discouragement. Hold before me your shattered hopes and dreams, and find redemption and rest when it seems there is none to be found. Don’t hesitate because your heart is weak, and your mind is confused. Don’t hesitate because you have questioned my goodness and love. Come as you are because my sacrifice is for you, just as you are (Tim S. Lane, Paul David Tripp).”
Not only does God call you to rush into His loving arms in your despair, He also calls you to surround yourself with other loving Christians who can minister to your needs. Who are the Christians in your life that can give you support when you need it? Remember, you were saved into a family; God never intended for you to be alone. The “It’s just you and me Jesus” mentality is contrary to the Great Commandment of loving both God and others.
– Romans 8:28 — And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
– Romans 8:29 — For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Sometimes God uses hard times to draw you back to Him as He did with the Psalmist. God may have to tear down your self-confidence so that your confidence, your hope, will be in Him alone. We are easily deceived by the world, the flesh (our self-centered, selfish desires and pride), and the devil. We easily lose perspective on who God really is and who we really are (or aren’t). With our sin glasses on, God becomes smaller (the opposite of glorified), while we see ourselves as becoming bigger. We try to ‘lord’ over our own lives, and we try to build our own kingdoms. The focus of our lives becomes ourselves, and we tend to see God as working for us rather than the other way around. In pursuit of our earthly goals and ambitions, we place our trust in our own understanding and strength, and we take comfort in the social, familial, financial, and emotional ‘strongholds’ that we build up for ourselves rather than in God alone. We become like a pilot who thinks ‘(s)he can fly rather than the airplane itself, a pilot who has taken the airplane for granted, until the engines stop running; then all the pilot’s thoughts are, once again, on the plane.
God may have to tear your idols down in order to bring you back to a right relationship with Him. The psalmist cried out day and night to the Lord when his personal strength was gone and when no one else remained to comfort him. The psalmist recognized that God had “caused” these things to happen. Of course, there are many reasons why bad things happen to Christians, but nothing happens which The Almighty does not allow. And in all things, whether they appear good or bad to us, God is working to bring us closer to Him. (Romans 8:28) During trials we must always reexamine our perspective and draw ever closer to God, not further away.
In the desert, Satan tried to tempt Jesus to make Himself bigger and the Father smaller, to pursue His personal power and His own kingdom on earth; but Jesus remained solely focused on advancing the Kingdom of God in accordance with the will of His Father. Jesus did nothing that was not directed by the Father: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19) Likewise, Jesus commanded His disciples to follow Him and only Him: “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)
Jesus built no personal ‘strongholds’ on earth: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58) Jesus cried out day and night to the Lord, well before the cross, because His life WAS the Father. To us Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus gave us the example: “Do NOTHING from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:2-8) Our daily cross carrying involves dying each day of self and claiming the “mind” of Christ which is already “ours in Christ Jesus.” Our mission makes us servants to God and others, making us the very least among them. Yes, this is a daily process that involves daily, continual repentance, claiming the promise of 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous [just] to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from unrighteousness.” Each day, in grace, God calls us to grow into the image of Christ – “Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.” (2 Peter 3:18) We get NO glory, and our reward is Christ. Don’t let the world, the flesh, and the devil deceive you into wandering away from the Shepherd.
The key to handling any challenge in life, including our own failures, is to draw closer to God (not further away), trusting Him to bring all things together for good. (Romans 8:28)
Proverbs 5:1-6 — My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
Wisdom enables discretion which gives us the self-control to resist the temptation for instant gratification now in order to preserve our greatest possible future. Wisdom is never short-sighted but rather can see the long-term implications of even the smallest decisions.
“…that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.” (Proverbs 5:2) Have God’s words on your lips, ready for the moments of decision when you need God’s word to keep from being deceived by your natural passions and desires and from doing what you want to do rather than what God commands you to do. If there is an area in your life where you know you are easily tempted, memorize Bible verses on that topic and recite them to yourself regularly, particularly in moments of weakness.
“For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” (Proverbs 5:3-6) Sin is selfishly choosing pleasure and self-gratification over love, faithfulness, and obedience, with no consideration of the consequences or the inevitable destruction to follow. The sinful are blind to the reality of sin because their eyes are not on God, and they aren’t viewing things from God’s perspective. All sin, even secret sins, hurts both the sinner and others. Sin hardens the heart of the sinner and leads to further sins which grow. All relationships are based on trust, and sin destroys trust. Sin says God can’t trust you to do what is right, you can’t trust you to do what is right, and therefore, others can’t trust you to do what is right. This creates an environment of distrust (first internally and then externally) which causes defensiveness, division, deception, and dispute, destruction, and death.
“She does not ponder the path of life.” (Proverbs 5:6) Sinners do not stop to truly consider the seriousness of their sin or what they are doing.
Proverbs 5:7, 8 – And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.
Laws and social moral codes cannot keep you from sin, only faith, hope, and love can. Faith gives more value to the unseen than the seen. Faith is more motivated by God’s word, which cannot be seen or handled, than the appealing physical things right in front of us. Faith trust God to do the right thing now, and hope trusts God with the future outcome of that decision, and love puts God and others above self and is the only motivation which is stronger than self-gratification. Ultimately, rules and regulations will not keep you from doing what you really want to do, and when in your heart you desire to sin, you will eventually sin. However, love truly desires not to sin and, therefore, doesn’t need the restraint of regulations or external reinforcements. Love does what is right naturally out of a passion for God and others. Do you believe God and His Majesty is more real and more wonderful than the ‘shiny apples’ at your fingertips? Do you love God and others more than the forbidden fruit of temptation?
“Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.” (Proverbs 5:8) If you know that certain things or certain situations entice you to sin, then the best thing you can do is stay far, far away from them. Don’t be complacent with or toy with temptations. We must choose to stay very far from all sin. Sin is nothing to take lightly and nothing to play with. I am not sure how it is possible to maintain this principle and watch TV today.
Proverb 5:11, 12 — And at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!”
You will reap what you sow, and when you do, you cannot change what you planted and cultivated in the past, and you cannot make up for a lack of investment. Whatever you plant and cultivate (or fail to plant or cultivate) will eventually and inevitably produce fruit of consequences and character for all to see. “…. and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed.” People choose between two pains: the constructive pain of discipline (self-control) today, or the destructive pain of regret tomorrow. Successful and godly people carry the light burden of discipline daily to avoid the crushing load of disappointment, disillusionment, depression, and defeat in the future.
Today is a great day to start doing what you should have been doing. Don’t worry about the past – it’s over. Don’t worry about tomorrow – it is out of your control. Today, is in your hands – make the most of it, joyfully, thankfully, energetically, courageously, and obediently. This is your best way to correct what has been done and promote a positive tomorrow. As the Chinese proverbs says, “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago; the second best time to plant a tree is today.”
Proverbs 5:15 — Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.
Much sin starts with dissatisfaction over the gifts God has given you. Be grateful for that content with what God has given you, and do not compare your situation with that of others.
Proverbs 5:17 – Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.
Protect and take care of what God has given you, rather than worrying about what God hasn’t given you. You are only ready to receive more when you can prove faithful with what you already have.
Proverbs 5:12, 23 — …and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!”… He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.”
If you aren’t willing to endure the daily pain of discipline, you will suffer the pain of life regret.
Proverb 5:14 — I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.
You reap what you sow in life. Eventually, the product of the life you have chosen will be evident to all.
Proverbs 5:15 — Drink water from your own cistern.
Be content and thankful for what, and who, God has given you. Your contentment is like rays of sunlight on flowers, causing them to blossom. Much sin starts with dissatisfaction over the gifts God has given you. Be grateful and content with what God has given you, and do not compare your situation with that of others.
Proverbs 5:19 — Be intoxicated always in her love.
The most important institution established by God on earth is the institution of marriage. Husbands and wives reveal their love for God mostly by how they love each other. The primary testimony and witness of a married Christian is their relationship with their spouse.
Proverbs 5:21 – For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.
Sin starts in the heart, and God knows your heart fully. Consider carefully your thought life. Before you committed any outward sin, whether seen or unseen, you first desired to do it, and that desire was already a sin, breaking the Greatest Commandment of loving God completely. As Jesus pointed out, sin starts in the heart. You may not have murdered anyone, but if, in your heart, you desired to, you are guilty of an even greater sin than murder, and that sin is failing to love the Almighty and other people as you should and as He commands. Putting your desires, even for a moment, above Him is cosmic treason against the One and Only Sovereign Lord. Don’t just repent of the sins you commit in secret, repent of your thoughts that dishonor God. Pray for a pure heart, and give thanks for God’s grace.
Proverbs 5:22, 23 – The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Do not let sin ensnare you!
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Obedience is a discipline – hence, the word disciple. Sinners lack self-control and self-discipline. They are not willing to make the small daily sacrifices each day required to invest in their spiritual growth and in their relationship with Jesus. They are defeated each day by their desires, emotions, and passions. Rather than being controlled by the Spirit, they are controlled by idols, created things that have become more influential in their lives than the Creator. What will control you today? What will be the source of your motivation? For what will you endeavor and why?
Sin, is a dangerous, deadly trap that exploits a person’s lack of self-control. The Way of life is Jesus and following Him. Disciples are those who truly follow Him and obey Him. The life of a disciple is, by definition, a disciplined life, a life of wholehearted obedience. Joy is found in obedience. The Christian who uses “grace” as an excuse for half-hearted obedience (or disobedience) is demonstrating an incredible lack of understanding and is dishonoring our Holy LORD. The more we truly appreciate our LORD, the more natural obedience becomes.
The first level of leadership, the foundation for all other leadership is leading self (which is actually demonstrating fidelity in following Jesus). Another word for self-leadership is discipline or self-control (a spiritual fruit). Self-leadership must be continuous, and if it fails, the person fails in all leadership at the foundational level. A person without self-control is completely untrustworthy and cannot lead others. Good leaders know the way and show the way. God leaders know Jesus, follow Him, and show others how to know Him and follow Him. If your leader is not following Jesus, he is leading you astray. If you are not faithfully following Jesus, you are leading others astray. As a leader, you are either with Jesus or against Him.
True disciples of Christ are known for their discipline, because self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5), the natural product of a Spirit-filled person who loves Jesus above all. If you have a self-discipline problem in your life, search your heart, and pray that God will reveal to you what you cannot see in yourself that is quenching or grieving the Holy Spirit. “Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 5 August 2023: Whatever you are going through, draw closer to God and simply trust Him. “Trust and obey, For there’s no other way, To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 