Category Archives: Controlling Thoughts

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Controlling Thoughts, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Loving / Kind, Self Control, Thankfulness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Focus on God, Not Others Around You

The LORD puts a priority on the blessing and discipline of those whom He loves as his children. He handed His people over to Babylon for a time so that they would repent and come back to Him. It likely seemed confusing for many of His people at that time. Babylon was not righteous. They were not serving God any more than Israel was. Why would God let Babylon succeed over His chosen people?

Take heart. As we see in Isaiah 47, God deals with those like Babylon in His good timing.  They flourished for a time and then were brought low. We must focus on our own walk with God and our obedience to Him rather than watching all the unrighteous and wondering why some of them appear to be having an easier time in life than ourselves. Be grateful that the LORD loves you enough to bless you and also to discipline you.

Isaiah 47

Lament for Babylon

1“Come down and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate.

      2“Take the millstones and grind meal.
Remove your veil, strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.

      3“Your nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame also will be exposed;
I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.”

      4Our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.

      5“Sit silently, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans,
For you will no longer be called
The queen of kingdoms.

      6“I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And gave them into your hand.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the aged you made your yoke very heavy.

      7“Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’
These things you did not consider
Nor remember the outcome of them.

      8“Now, then, hear this, you sensual one,
Who dwells securely,
Who says in your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will not sit as a widow,
Nor know loss of children.’

      9“But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.

      10“You felt secure in your wickedness and said,
‘No one sees me,’
Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you;
For you have said in your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’

      11“But evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you suddenly.

      12“Stand fast now in your spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to profit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.

      13“You are wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and save you from what will come upon you.

      14“Behold, they have become like stubble,
Fire burns them;
They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!

      15“So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Who have trafficked with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own way;
There is none to save you.

Take a few minutes. Ask God to show you any areas where you feel jealousy or frustration based on the success of others around you that are far from God. Let go of those thoughts. Release that into the LORD’s hands. Trust in Him to handle that. Ask Him to help you focus on yourself and how you are living for God.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Controlling Thoughts, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Purposeful / Intentional

Nothing Is Impossible with God

Nothing is impossible with God. That does not mean He will enable us to do everything we imagine or ask, but it is a good reminder to have courage even when things look tough. We are in His hands!

It is one thing for Yeshua to walk on water, but He went beyond that and allowed Peter to do so also. As long as Peter kept focused on Christ, he was doing great. Once he took his eyes off Christ and focused on the waves and turbulence around him, he started to sink.

Matthew 14:22-36

Jesus Walks on the Water

      22Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

      28Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

      34When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; 36and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.

Keep your eyes on God. Trust in Him. Do not be intimidated by the things around you which will try to grab your attention and instill fear in you. Focus on Him through whatever adversity you are facing.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Discerning / Judging, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Holy / Set Apart, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Self Control, Wickedness / Evil

Words Reveal Character as a Fruit Reveals the Tree

In just a few short verses, there can be much to unpack. Sometimes it helps to focus on a few at a time. The fruit reveals the tree. If I see apples, I know it is an apple tree and not an orange tree. So, also, with people who are good or evil. We can, with some degree of effectiveness, judge someone by their fruit (e.g. by their actions and attitudes).

Matthew 12:33-37

Words Reveal Character

      33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

It may seem harsh to say that our words will justify or condemn us, but in a very clear sense, the point is that our words are simply an overflow of our heart. Words are obviously very important as well, as they can cause much hurt or much good.

Pray for wisdom and restraint over your own tongue. Pray for a pure heart such that what overflows is likewise pure.

To us a personal example, there was a time in my life when I never used curse words. As I went to college I started allowing myself to use them now and then, “but not as bad as others”. With this rationalization, I walked into a trap. Now, decades later, having sincere desire to completely forgo this type of language, it still slips out at times. It is a failure on my part, but I share it as an example that when we allow ourselves to lower our standards and we let our guard down on what is right, we let in impurity to our heart. It can be very hard to get that back out completely. Best to defend against ever accepting it in the first place.

We do well to truly focus on filling ourselves with what is good and pure. In this way, that is all that will come back out. If you, like me, have already allowed impurity in, then ask God’s forgiveness and His help to purify you and be sure to defend yourself. Whether it is bad words, or lashing out in anger at people, or lusting after others, defend your purity. Avoid any additional exposure to these things. Do not let them in your mind anymore and ask God to help purge them and purify you. Focus on what is good and pure. Let that fill you up inside and then that is what will overflow.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Am I on the path?, Anger (unrighteous anger), Controlling Thoughts, Divorce, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Humility, Kindness / Gentleness, Murder, Purposeful / Intentional, Self Control, Strife, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Tongue / Gossip / Slander

Truly Being a Light for Christ May Seem Challenging

Earlier in Matthew 5, Yeshua was teaching about the beatitudes and then about disciples being salt and light and pursuing righteousness. Now he continues to expound on that by speaking about personal relationships. The context is still continuing in the line of how to be salt and light and righteous… we are to act very differently than the world around us. If we truly consider the high standard and take it to heart, it can be intimidating. However, rather than throw up your hands and say “I can’t do that”, simply recognize that this is the goal we should be moving towards and ask the Spirit to help you get there.

Matthew 5:21-48

Personal Relationships

      21“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25“Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26“Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.      27“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30“If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

31“It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; 32but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ 34“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. 36“Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

38“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ 39“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I do not assume we are to take literally the part about removing our body parts if they cause us to offend, but the language certainly drives home the point. If there are things in our lives, even things dear and close to us, that cause us to stumble before our Father, we should remove them.

Really reflect on the behaviors and the high standard laid out here that is required and desired to separate us and help us stand out as the light to others. We are not to blend in and it is not simply by quoting scripture, but by the very manner in which we live that we are to distinguish ourselves as a light. We truly need help from the Spirit to live it out and we need to remain humble and seek forgiveness along the way as we stumble.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Purposeful / Intentional, Self Control, Tongue / Gossip / Slander

The Tongue Is A Fire

Let us take care to control our tongues. Much blessing and much trouble can come from that small part of our body.

James 3:1-12

The Tongue Is a Fire

      1Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. 2For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. 3Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. 4Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. 7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Comforter, Controlling Thoughts, Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Learning To Pray Effectively, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteous, Strong in Our Weakness

Follow Yeshua’s Example of Prayer and Submission

Yeshua sets the example for intense prayer. We have a hard time living up to His example. No matter what we face, however, let us follow His example and come before the Father in prayer. Let us submit to the Father’s will and trust in the Father’s wisdom, even if we have an opinion or preference which is different. We may even pray for the Spirit’s help that we would not fall into temptation.

Luke 22:39-46

The Garden of Gethsemane

     39And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Let us model ourselves and our relationship with the Father after the example of Christ, whether we face big situations or every day small ones.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Peace / Rest, Purposeful / Intentional, Worry/Anxiety

Overcoming Anxiety and Worry

Anxiety and worry can consume people, even those who are trying to follow Christ. The devil wants to steal, kill and destroy. He targets relationships, including that between you and your Father in heaven. Anxiety and worry are one tactic he uses.

He can even take our good intention to obey God and repent from sins and try to turn us in knots of guilt about every potential mistake we make. If he is effective in this guilt, he can separate us from God as we may become more distant due to our feeling of unworthiness and stress associated with constantly not “being good enough”.

If we let him, Satan can lead us to worry about our concerns of daily living and how we will accomplish what we feel we need to in life, whether it is the basics of food and shelter or more aspirational hopes and dreams. We may start to worry so much and soon find that we are assuming we must accomplish everything of our own power and we lose sight of trusting the Lord and His power. In many cases, the goals we set out to achieve are not even the Lord’s but only our own. If we are pursuing His will in our lives we can be sure He will provide the power and the path to accomplish it.

With the Lord’s help, we can resist Satan effectively.

When dealing with anxiety and worry it is important to pray for the Lord’s help and come before Him humbly. Seek His guidance in scripture.

Philippians 4:4-20

      4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

God’s Provisions

     10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

      15You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Don’t let Satan steal your joy! Rejoice in the Lord!

The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Bitterness / Resentment, Compassionate, Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Contentment, Controlling Thoughts, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Forgiveness, Interceding for Others, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Obeying God, Provider

Trust God In The Desert; Faith and Obedience Bring Us To The Promised Land

Have you ever gone through a tough situation, one that was really emotionally and physically draining? It may have even lasted months or years. Let us remember to cling to God in these situations, trusting that if we are faithful He can turn all things to use for good.

Romans 8:28

  28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Let us take care not to complain and whine or worse… rebel against where God is leading us or bringing us through. Think back on the Israelites as the Lord led them out of Egypt and into the promised land. He performed many mighty miracles and yet as time passed, the people continued to stumble and make mistakes. They continued to complain and at times rebel against God. They saw only their immediate, short term struggles and kept focusing on those rather than focusing on and trusting the Lord who was leading them through the desert. They could not seem to focus and trust that the promised land was theirs at the end of the journey.

In fact, they even completely ignore their own accountability in making the journey take 40 years! God delivered them to the promised land and they disobeyed and did not take it because they were afraid of the people living there. They did not trust the Lord. Their journey got much longer. But as they complain in Numbers 20, they blame Moses and God rather than their own mistakes in disobeying the Lord.

Numbers 20:2-5

      2There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD! 4“Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? 5“Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.”

How callously they chastise Moses and defame the Lord’s reputation and character, implicitly in their complaints about “It is not a place of grain or figs or vines …” in contrast to God’s promised land. They take no accountability for their actions being the cause of why they are in the desert still. Should not they be saying… “O’ Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us for our disobedience and lack of faith resulted in our remaining in the desert”?

Let each of us take care in our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes our actions create the bad situation we don’t like or make it much worse. The answer is not to get mad at God and complain. Turn to God and ask Him for forgiveness and help to get through the challenge. Ask Him for joy and encouragement. As Him for mercy and grace. These things He will give to a submitted and repentant heart.  God is indeed just, but He is also compassionate and kind.

Pray that He would use the difficult circumstances for good, for His glory through you. Pray He would bring good from the hard times. Then patiently and faithfully trust that He can and He will, even if it may not look like what we want in the situation. Let us cling to the Lord, knowing He may simply be bringing us through personal growth or to a place even better than where we started… as He was bringing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. Rather than complain and blame the Lord, we should pray for the Spirit to help us be patient along the journey.

Trust God in the desert. Faith and obedience bring us to the promised land.

P.S. Want to know how God responded to the unrighteous complaints of the people? Read on further in Numbers 20. Once a righteous man interceded and asked the Lord for help, He provided them water, despite their general lack of faith and active complaining. I believe He did so to try to continue showing the people His glory to help lead them to trust and follow Him. Only in trusting Him would their journey truly get any easier as they continued in the desert.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Discerning / Judging, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, How do I get started?, Humility, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Self Control, Study the Word, Teachable, Thankfulness

Be Imitators Of God

Be imitators of God, walking in love and righteousness. Be apart from the world and its ways. Try to learn and live according to what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:1-21

Be Imitators of God

     1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

      3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

      15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Contentment, Controlling Thoughts, Dreams, Humility, Speaking, Through Prophets, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Visions

Petty Jealousy and Complaining Do Not Please the Lord

Jealousy can raise its ugly head in surprising places. Don’t think the church or church leadership is exempt. Maintain vigil against it. Be content with how Jehovah uses you and guides you. Envy not His relationship with someone else.

Even Miriam and Aaron fell to this sin and they had seen many mighty miracles and received guidance from the Lord. However, it appears they became jealous of how the Lord lifted up Moses with a more personal engagement. Their focus shifted from the Lord to themselves and perhaps their ego. Suddenly they are murmuring against Him. The Lord was not pleased.

Do not confuse this jealous murmuring with a correct rebuke or discernment against false teaching. We are to discern and call out false teachers or false doctrine. However, this was different. This was a jealous resentment for the attention Moses was getting and then undermining the unity of the leadership of God’s people.

Note how Moses does not hold a grudge. This is consistent with scripture referring to Him as a humble man. I would guess he was not pleased with Miriam and Aaron, but he intercedes for Miriam with the Lord anyway. We can only speculate if the Lord limited Miriam’s punishment to 7 days because of Moses or if that would have been the case anyway.

Numbers 12

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

     1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2and they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the LORD heard it. 3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 4Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. 5Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,

6He said,
“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.

      7“Not so, with My servant Moses,
He is faithful in all My household;

      8With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly, and not in dark sayings,
And he beholds the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

      9So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. 10But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12“Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” 13Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” 14But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” 15So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

      16Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

I pray our Father would help me to be his humble servant. Let me not get caught up in “being right” or “getting personal glory or credit”, but rather only in serving Him and doing His will for His glory. Let us pray for one another and not murmur against one another in jealousy.

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