THE WORD OF GOD

"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian." ~A.W. Tozer

" If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper. I make it a practice to read the Bible through once every year."

~ Daniel Webster

As the years go by , I am more and more aware of my forgetfulness, my lack of discipline, and my weakness to be overtaken by the mundane duties of this life. Recently, the Lord has been dealing with me in the area of Reading my Bible through every year. I am ashamed as I look back over the years that I have been saved and realize how few times I have actually completed Reading the Whole Bible in a years time. It really is an obtainable goal for all of us...I have no excuse. But, I am ever impressed by the Holy Spirit that He desires to meet with us each day. Will we make our appointment each day or will we continue to reschedule? I want to know Him more intimately...I want to understand His will for my life....I want to share Him with others. May we choose to be Seekers of the Word and to train our precious children to read His Word daily that they might know Him intimately. It is the most important thing to teach them to Know Jesus and to have a love for God's Word.

Blessings,

~Heather

Love

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving"

~Amy Carmichael

Mind Renewal: Lesson One (cont.)

I am sorry for taking so long to post again, but I do want to continue this study on Mind Renewal. We did a wonderful study back in the fall and I am still trying to implement it all. As we studied much of the material was not particularly NEW, but God began to show me areas where I wasn't thinking and living in accordance with His Word. If we will ask Him to put His loving finger upon those areas, He will show us where we err and that which is not pleasing to Him.

"..He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."~John 14:21....."Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."~Proverbs 4:23

If I am indifferent to, or do not know the Word of God, I find myself in a rough sea, not knowing which way to turn and my life is full of toiling to overcome:

Fear, anxiety, worry , anger

Unruly tongue,

Secret sins, thoughts, habits,

Discontent, complaining, self-condemnation,

Covetousness, selfishness,

Old resentments, broken relationships,

Unforgiving attitudes, regrets, and grievances,

Idolatry of power, possessions, persons,

Sins unable to abandon, addictions...

As a New Year has begun, let us do a personal inventory asking the Lord if there be any sin that stands between us, any weight that is holding us back from growing closer to our Saviour. Let's ask God to search our hearts ...Together let's set some new goals for the year that will help us to grow closer to Him and be all that He wants us to be, For His Sake!

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. for consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." ~Hebrews 12:2,3

Joyfully,

~Heather

Mind Renewal..Continued

The yielded heart is the key to a renewed mind..."Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."~2 Corinthians 10:5
~Read also Ephesians 4:17-23 and Isaiah 1:18

Heart: (Hebrew::"leb", labe) feelings, will, intellect; the loyalty of man's inner or immaterial nature; likewise the center of anything; synonym for mind, sense, perceptive nature. Old testament reference, first mention: Genesis 6:5
Heart:(Greek: "kardia") feelings, emotions,mind. New Testament reference, first mention: Matthew 5:8

Beware:(Read Romans 1:16-32)These are the battle of the flesh vs. The Spirit
My ideas vs. who He(Jesus) is...What does the Bible say about who Jesus is?
Fantasy vs. Reality
Natural reason vs. Trust
Teachings of men vs. Truth by the Holy Spirit
Faith in "good" things vs. Faith in Christ
What I want now vs. Obedience to God

~"He that hath my commandments, and keepth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."~ John 14:21
The heart consists of the Intellect, Emotion , and will ...each must be yielded in order to be controlled by the Holy Spirit..when our intellect, will, and emotion are all yielded to Jesus we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.(Romans12:1-2)
The Trinity: In theology , the union of three persons in one Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
We are made in God's image...we are three parts(intellect,emotion, and will)
In order to be conformed to His image, there must be union with our our intellect, emotion and will.
Our main objective is to find the Heart of God...this is done by reading His Word, and prayer(we must Be Still before Him, asking Him to show us any thing in our heart that is not right.) Remember we are walking with a Person (A Holy and Righteous God), not a Religion. As we walk with Him throughout the day, He will speak to us about the things that we do, think and say.
~"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,my strength, and my redeemer'. ~Psalm 19:14

Mind Renewal

Lessons on Mind Renewal: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect , will of God."
~Romans 12:1-2
Renew: 1." to make new or as if new again; make young, fresh, or strong again, bring back into good condition."
2."to give spiritual strength to "
3. "to cause to exist again, reestablish, revive"
4." to fill with a fresh supply"

When we first come to know the Lord, our minds are renewed from a lost state. We exchange our hearts for His...our minds for His ...our desires for His.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." ~2 Corinthians 5:17

Then throughout our Christian walk , our minds need to be renewed again and again, because we slip back into our old habits, our fleshly desires and are affected by worldly influences.This is a constant battle for the Christian and the only way to renew our mind is through God's Holy Word.
More to come on "Mind Renewal". Suggested study: Look up all references to the word "mind" in the Bible.

THINK THROUGH ME

Think through me, Thoughts of God,
My Father, quiet me,
Till in Thy holy Presence, hushed,
I think Thy thoughts with Thee.

Think through me, thoughts of God,
That always, everywhere,
The stream that through my being flows,
May homeward pass in prayer.

Think through me, Thoughts of God,
And let my own thoughts be
Like the sand-pools on the shore
Of the eternal sea.
~Amy Carmichael

The Word of God

"Scripture is a paradise of trees of life which brings forth fruit every month, and the leaves for medicine. It is a shower of heavenly bread and a cellar full of oil vessels whereby all our necessities may be provided. It is a pantry of wholesome food against mouldy traditions,a pharmacist's shop against heresies; a code of profitable laws against rebellious spirit; a treasure of costly jewels against beggarly rudiments, a foundation of most pure water springing up into everlasting life".


...taken from the introduction to the reader, from the King Kames Version of the Bible in the year of our Lord 1611