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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 10 September 2023:
Ezekiel 11:5 — For I know the things that come into your mind.
God knows your thoughts and what you care about most. Throughout the Bible God reminds us that He “searches the mind and heart” (Revelation 2:23), “sees the heart and mind” (Jeremiah 20:12), and “tests the mind and heart” in His perfect righteousness. (Psalm 7:9; Jeremiah 11:23, 17:19) The Greatest Commandment in the Bible is to love God with all your mind (Matthew 22:37); yes, all your mind, and Isaiah reminds us that a person whose mind is “stayed” on the Lord has perfect peace, while James points out that a person who is double-minded in unstable in all his ways. (Isaiah 26:3; James 1:8) While none of us have perfect thinking, learning to love God with every bit of your mind must be your impassioned ambition, and you must first and foremost “set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.” (Chronicles 22:19; Colossians 3:2) You must take responsibility and make the commitment to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Chronicles 10:5) While God gives us the ability to love Him with all our minds by giving us His Spirit, He also gives us the responsibility (response-ability) to “prepare our minds for action (1 Peter 1:13), to “no longer walk as the Gentiles (unbelievers) do, in the futility of their minds (Ephesians 4:7),” to no longer be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
We need to think very hard about our thinking, and take God’s Greatest Commandment of having a “Semper Fidelis” mind very seriously. Remember, Jesus’ greatest rebuke to one of His disciples was about his thinking – “But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’” (Matthew 16:23) However, you might feel like you can’t control (or take captive) your thoughts – they just seem to pop in your head uncontrollably. It certainly doesn’t happen overnight, but you can in fact renew your mind just as the Bible commands you. You start by repenting, which means to change your mind, and then “setting your mind,” making the commitment to change your thinking. Then, you must go on a mental diet much like you would change your eating habits to change your body – “You are what you eat,” and “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) You don’t think about anything without first receiving information on which to think. So, to change your thinking, you must change your information. Pour into God’s word, and stop listening to the messages of the world, which come from alienated, futile, depraved minds of the ungodly who “imagine godliness is a means of gain.” (1 Timothy 6:5) The Bible encourages you to “arm yourself” for the battle of ideas (1 Peter 4:1) by delighting in God’s word and meditating on it day and night (Psalm 1:2), while praying continually and steadfastly (Colossians 1:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), rejoicing always, and even singing spiritual songs with thankfulness in your heart (Colossians 3:16). Alongside, you must be “innocent as to what is evil,” that “The God of Peace” will “crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:19-20) You must make the conscious decision and effort to “have nothing to do with” irreverent, foolish, ignorant, futile, ungodly thinking. (1 Timothy 4:7; 2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:10). Turn off the television and social media, and stop listening to negative talk. Change the conversation to what honors God. “Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9)
– 1 Corinthians 14:20 — Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
– Hebrews 5:14 — But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
– Philippians 4:4-8 — Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Ezekiel 11:8 — You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God.
Those who disobey God out of fear or turn to something other to God for security will be turned over to their fears and see those fears come to fruition.
Ezekiel 11:12 — For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.
Today, Christians are deciding whose rules they will follow, God’s rules or the rules of secular society and secular government. Choose wisely.
Ezekiel 11:16 – …though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them….
It’s not national security you need to worry about but rather obedience to, and unity with, the One True Protector.
Even in discipline, God protects His children with the goal of seeing them through the discipline to ultimately bring them closer to Him in accordance with His will.
Ezekiel 11:19-21 – And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.
The Spirit of God brings God’s people closer to Him and closer to each other. A godly people have unity in Christ. Many people are calling for unity today, but unity around the wrong thing means everyone is wrong together and collectively doomed. The only unity that benefits is unity around Jesus. Often, even Christians will mistakenly attempt to make “unity” the goal rather than Christ, and they will attempt to unify around and organization, a charity, a political party, a business, an ideology, etc. Also, many Christians will water down or disregard God’s commands or practice pharisaical legalism in order to maintain unity within a church or parachurch organization. This too is idolatry and ultimately doomed. Unity must be around the unchanging Truth, Jesus Christ and love. Until people seek Christ first, disunity is guaranteed. Where you see disunity, someone (or everyone) is putting self before Jesus.
God’s people walk together, with Jesus, in God’s commands. The ungodly will suffer the consequences of going their own way.
Psalm 104:1 — Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great!
When you consider the Sovereignty, Majesty, and Love of God, it can only cause you to say, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord…. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!” If your heart isn’t yet filled with this level of adoration for the Lord, pray that God will more clearly reveal His Glory to you as you meditate on verses such as found in Psalm 104.
Psalm 104:24 – O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all.
Everything is perfectly orchestrated by God. Everything is totally dependent upon God. The natural laws and the laws of ethics (justice) were both created by God in perfection. They both determine the order of things, and the outcomes (or consequences) of God’s natural and ethical laws are inextricably linked, reliable and predictable. If we attempt to defy God’s natural laws (the laws of science or nature), we will face devastating consequences. Likewise, if we attempt to defy God’s moral ethical laws, we will face devastating consequences. Again, God will not be mocked. There are predictable consequences for every action. God’s word can guide you down the path of predictably good consequences. Do not be deceived by following the teachings of man rather than the teachings of God. God is the author of “principles” (the truth about how life works) and “ethics” (justice), but man is the author of “values” (mankind’s interpretation of principles) and “morality” (mores, customs, what is generally considered good and acceptable by the majority). Today, we use all these words interchangeably, and values and morality are preached rather than God’s principles and ethics. This is the story of the Book of Judges where the people did “what was right in their own eyes.”
Psalm 105:4 – Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
The Christian life is a daily endeavor to grow closer to Jesus and to know Him or intimately. A popular song in the 1960’s, which quoted a famous 13th Century prayer, said it like this: “Day by day, oh, dear Lord, three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, Follow thee more nearly, day by day.” Is that your prayer today?
Psalm 105:43 – So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
God does not intend to keep you from trials and tribulations but rather to lead you through them with joy and singing. God intends both good times and bad times to draw you closer to Him. He is where we find joy despite circumstances.
Psalm 105:44, 45 – And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!
God blesses you that you might obey Him and reveal His Glory and Majesty to the world. He intends His people to reveal Kingdom principles to the world through their actions and influence. Christians translate God’s spiritual principles and ethics into the physical world, living by the motto, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
God’s purpose for His people has always been obedience to Him, motivated by love, for His glory.
Proverbs 10:4, 5 – A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Success requires persistent hard work for a long time. Successful people do not expect instant gratification.
Proverbs 10:8 – The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Many people are ready to ask God for countless personal blessings without receiving and obeying God’s commandments. They talk much but listen little. When we want what God wants, and live in accordance with what God wants, our prayer life is very fruitful. When we live for self and ask God only for what we want for ourselves, our prayer life is very unfruitful. God does not resource what is not in accordance with His will.
Proverbs 10:10, 11 – The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
A person’s words either build up others or tear them down, and words reveal whether or not you have a heart of love which is a godly heart.
Proverbs 10:12 — Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
Just cover over wrongs; don’t respond to them in a way that only sustains sin and makes it grow.
Proverbs 10:22 – The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
Many seek to create their own blessings on earth, but sorrow comes with them. Only God knows what is best for us. We must not sacrifice His will for what we want. When we set our own goals, we may accomplish them and miss what God intended for us. Make sure you are pursuing God’s plan for your life and not your own plan.
Proverbs 10:23 – Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
Sinners joke about the sin that God abhors.
Proverbs 10:25 — When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever.
God uses life circumstances to discipline sinful people. Some people can only be controlled by punishment. Those who lack internal discipline require external discipline. Better to listen to and obey God’s word than to receive the LORD’s discipline. (Proverbs 10:13) God also uses life circumstances to strengthen His faithful servants. Everyone goes through the storms of life; they destroy the wicked but only make the righteous stronger. “Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 10 September 2023: Today, this Sunday, seek with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength to grow closer to Jesus and to proclaim Him to all around you.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 