Immediately Answer the Call and “Get ‘er Done” - Purity 620
Purity
620 01/05/2022 Purity 620 Podcast
Good
morning,
It’s Wednesday and as we make it to the midweek
point and seek to get over the hump, I would encourage you to face the problems
that surround you and if you can deal with them, immediately.
It’s not always easy but I like to practice what I
preach and sometimes you are put to the test when your day just begins. This morning, I was greeted with a problem
upon waking. As I slept my children
messaged me with the news that they are concerned that there is a wasp’s nest
somewhere in our home as they have both been stung by wasp and seen a total of
5 wasps in our home in the past month.
While part of me felt tempted to text back a pithy
reply like “Deal with it” or with an exasperated question like “What do want me
to do about it?”, I instead took their concerns seriously and used part of my morning
to examine the woodwork in the basement to see if I could see any signs of wasp
infestation. So armed with sealing
compound, bee spray, and a flashlight, I went about the task of trying to
address this problem.
If nothing else I sealed up a few holes where
cold air was coming in but in truth I did discover one hole that seemed new which
received a healthy dose of bee spray in addition to a sealing compound
plug. So I advised my kids via messenger
of my efforts and asked them to remain diligent in reporting any future
instances of wasp activity.
This morning’s task brings to mind my philosophy
on dealing with problems that I have arrived at after years of suffering the
consequences of procrastinating (which is just word that means doing nothing), denying
a problem exists, or just hoping a problem will go away on its own. My philosophy is to address and try to solve
problems as soon as possible as they arise, as in immediately.
While waiting on the Lord will be absolutely
necessary as part of our faith walk, God created man to “tend to the Garden”
and be stewards of the things that He has entrusted us with. So if something goes wrong and the problem needs
to be addressed or a task needs to be performed, I have learned that it is best
if we do so immediately.
Putting things off for another time may be wise in
some instances, as we can discern what the situations at hand require, but I
know that I have a penchant for forgetting things so if I can, I deal with
problems as they come because I have learned that in this world broken by sin,
another problem or task to be done is right around the corner.
So “get ‘er done and get ‘er done now” is sort of
my problem solving philosophy of life and actually is the disposition that we
are to take when walking in the Spirit. When
a problem arises or a call from the Lord comes, we should take action
immediately.
I did a quick word search of immediately at Blueletterbible.org and found that many of the uses of immediately either describe people taking action or people being miraculously healed.
Matthew 4:19-20 (NKJV)
19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 They immediately left
their nets and followed Him.
Acts 16:10 (NKJV) says
10 Now after he had seen the
vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the
Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Immediately, they
left their nets! Immediately, they sought to go! Move it. Move it.
Our lives of walking in the Spirit are directed by the Holy Spirit, so if we get an intuition to do something that is out of the ordinary and seems to be good, I have learned to obey “the call” immediately. I have been “directed by the Spirit” to pray for people, to do good deeds, perform work, and to make decisions that I later wondered where I got the wisdom from and in every instance it has resulted in good and left me with no regrets.
As for the appearance of immediately in the Bible regarding the healing, scripture indicates that God heals miraculously in an instant. If a healing miracle is to be claimed today, it should only be applied only to instances where the person received immediate, complete healing.
Before you say I don’t believe in miracles because of that strict classification drawn from scripture, I would say that I believe that all healing comes from God, miraculous or otherwise as God also heals through His providence.
As Creator and Sustainer of all things and Sovereign King over His creation, the Lord sets the conditions and grants healing providentially through non-miraculous means. Why does one treatment work for one person and not the other? Why do so people get sick and die and others get sick and recover? God’s will, grace, mercy, and providence all play a hand in our experience in ways we can’t understand or direct. His will, rather than our will, will be done.
But God does set those conditions in our world that we can learn from and adhere to be healed. We can take steps to live a healthy lifestyle and deal with problems immediately that will cause stress or suffering if they are not addressed. The “healing” that we can receive is the peace we can have knowing that we have fulfilled our roles as stewards over what we have been given and then trust the Lord to help us knowing that He is faithful to do what is right.
We can’t control everything, and we can’t demand that the Lord will bless us as we wish, but we can be faithful to answer His call on our lives and to be responsible stewards over what we have received.
Walking in the Spirit is supposed to be a dynamic interaction with the Lord in which we are actively seeking His presence, wisdom, guidance, and strength as we try to discern His will for our lives and skillfully deal with the situations that arise in our lives in a way that solves problems and represents Him on the earth.
So rather than putting off to tomorrow what you could do today, consider doing it immediately. Sometimes we can cultivate the fruit of the Spirit of peace and joy by being responsible and taking action to maintain, to fix, or to perform the things that God has given us in our lives. So keep walking and talking with God, and when you do keep your eyes open to be aware of what situations need to be dealt with and when you should take care of them. And don’t be surprised, if the Lord encourages you to do them immediately.
Today’s Bible verse
comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
2
Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT2)
3 But the Lord is faithful;
he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
Today’s verse speaks of the
reality of the Lord’s care and the clear and present danger of the enemy.
One of the popular worship
songs being played currently is “Promises” by Maverick City Music. The chorus of
that song resounds with the declaration of “Great is Your faithfulness to me” speaking
of God’s care, guidance, and presence in our lives echoing today’s verse’s
simple truth that the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen us and protect us
from the evil one.
The evil one is Satan, the
enemy who lives to steal, kill, and destroy.
His tactics include deception, accusation, condemnation, and temptation
to lead us astray. He can also influence others to do his will and harm
us.
So we not only have to be
steadfast to monitor what is going in our thoughts and what we are putting
before our eyes that may lead us into temptation, but we must also be wise and
discerning when it comes to the company we keep.
The implication of today’s
verse is that when we follow the Lord and His ways for our lives we will receive
His strength and His protection. That
protection and strength doesn’t only have to come in some miraculous or providential
way. By following the Lord and living
according to what the Word of God says, we are shielded and armed for battle to
resist and defeat the enemy.
The Lord provides to those who
ask, seek, and knock. So seek the Lord
by faithfully applying His word to your life and you will be strengthened and
be guarded from the attacks of the evil one.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue to share from Dr. Neil Anderson’s
. “Restored: Experience Life with Jesus”. Today, we continue sharing from
Chapter 3.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Neil Anderson’s books for your own private
study and to support his work.
GOING THROUGH STEP
TWO
In Step One you dealt with counterfeit guidance. In Step Two you
will determine if you have been deceived. Scripture teaches that Christians can
fall away from the faith by paying attention to deceiving spirits.64 We can
also be deceived by the world, deceive ourselves, and wrongly defend ourselves.
We need God’s help to determine whether deception has occurred, so ask for
God’s guidance as follows:
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the truth, and I desire to live by faith according to Your
truth. The truth will set me free, but in many ways I have been deceived by the
father of lies, the philosophies of this fallen world, and I have deceived
myself. I choose to walk in the light, knowing that You love and accept me just
as I am. As I consider areas of possible deception, I invite the Spirit of
truth to guide me into all truth. Please protect me from all deception as You
“search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see
if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm
139:23, 24).
In the name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.
Prayerfully consider the lists in the three exercises below, using
the prayers at the end of each exercise in order to confess any ways you have
given in to deception or wrongly defended yourself. You cannot instantly renew
your mind, but the process will never get started without acknowledging mental
strongholds or defense mechanisms, which are sometimes called mental flesh
patterns.
Ways you can be deceived by the world:
·
Believing that acquiring money and
things will bring lasting happiness. (Matthew 13:22; 1 Timothy 6:10)
·
Believing that excessive food and
alcohol can relieve my stress and make me happy. (Proverbs 23:19-21)
·
Believing that an attractive body and
personality will get me what I need. (Proverbs 31:10; 1 Peter 3:3, 4)
·
Believing that gratifying sexual lust
will bring lasting satisfaction. (Ephesians 4:22; 1 Peter 2:11)
·
Believing that I can sin and get away
without any negative consequences. (Hebrews 3:12, 13)
·
Believing that I need more than what God
has given me in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 13-15)
·
Believing that I can do whatever I want
and no one can touch me. (Proverbs 16:18; Obadiah 3; 1 Peter 5:5)
·
Believing that unrighteous people who
refuse to accept Christ go to heaven anyway. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
·
Believing that I can associate with bad
company and not become corrupted. (1 Corinthians 15:33, 34)
·
Believing that I can read, see, or
listen to anything and not be corrupted. (Proverbs 4:23-27; Matthew 5:28)
·
Believing that there are no consequences
on earth for my sin. (Galatians 6:7, 8)
·
Believing that I must gain the approval
of certain people in order to be happy. (Galatians 1:10)
·
Believing that I must measure up to
certain standards in order to feel good about myself. (Galatians 3:2, 3; 5:1)
Lord Jesus, I confess that I have been deceived by (confess the
items you checked above). I thank You for Your forgiveness, and I commit myself
to believe only Your truth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Ways to deceive yourself:
·
Hearing God’s Word but not doing what it
says. (James 1:22)
·
Saying I have no sin. (1 John 1:8)
·
Thinking I am something I’m really not.
(Galatians 6:3)
·
Thinking I am wise in this worldly age.
(1 Corinthians 3:18, 19)
·
Thinking I can be truly religious but
not bridle my tongue. (James 1:26)
·
Thinking that God is the source of my
problems. (Lamentations 3)
·
Thinking I can live my life without the
help of anyone else. (1 Corinthians 12:14-20)
Lord Jesus, I confess that I have deceived myself by (confess the
items checked above). Thank You for Your forgiveness. I commit myself to believe
only Your truth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
·
Ways to wrongly defend yourself:
·
Denial of reality conscious or
unconscious
·
Fantasy (escaping reality by
daydreaming, TV, movies, music, computer, or video games, drugs, alcohol)
·
Emotional insulation (withdrawing from
people or keeping people at a distance to avoid rejection)
·
Regression (reverting back to less
threatening times)
·
Displaced anger (taking out frustrations
on innocent people)
·
Projection (attributing to another what
you find unacceptable in yourself)
·
Rationalization (making excuses for my
own poor behavior)
·
Lying (protecting self through
falsehoods)
·
Blaming myself (when not responsible)
and others
·
Hypocrisy (presenting a false image)
Lord Jesus, I confess that I have wrongly defended myself by
(confess the items checked above). Thank You for Your forgiveness. I trust You
to defend and protect me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
The wrong ways we have employed to shield ourselves from pain and
rejection are often deeply engrained in our lives. You may need additional
discipling or counseling to learn how to allow Christ to be your rock,
fortress, deliverer, and refuge. The more you learn how loving, powerful, and
protective God is, the more you will trust Him. The more you realize His complete
acceptance of you in Christ, the more you’ll be released to be open, honest,
and vulnerable (in a healthy way) before God and others.
The New Age movement has twisted the concept of faith by teaching
that we make something true by believing it. That is false. We cannot create
reality with our minds; only God can bring something out of nothing into
existence. Our responsibility is to face reality and choose to believe what God
says is true. True biblical faith, therefore, is choosing to believe and act
upon what is true, because God has said it is true, and He is the Truth. Faith
is something you decide to do, not something you feel like doing. Believing
something doesn’t make it true; it’s already true, therefore we choose to
believe it! Truth is not conditioned by whether we choose to believe it or not.
Everybody lives by faith. The only difference between Christian
faith and non-Christian faith is the object of our faith. If the object of our
faith is not trustworthy, then no amount of believing will change that. That’s
why our faith must be grounded on the solid rock of God’s perfect, unchanging
character and the truth of His word. For two thousand years Christians have
known the importance of verbally and publicly declaring truth. Read aloud the following
Statements of Truth, and carefully consider what you are professing. You may
find it helpful to read the words aloud daily for several weeks, which will
help renew your mind to the truth.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship
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