Some Thoughts

I attended a youth meeting with my daughter last night. So as not to embarrass her, I stuck to the background and let her do her own thing. As such, I basically ignored her and really listened to everything going on: the message encased in worship, the message of the skit performed by dozens of youth and the message shared by the youth pastor. It was a great service for the youth because it really gave them insight into being lost without a Savior. Many of these kids have been in church all of their lives, and many of them have accepted the wonderful gift of salvation God offers us freely; but there were some who were visiting and may not have heard the gospel of Grace, and although only God can judge the heart, there may have been some kids there who grew up in church but had never really accepted the free gift of salvation.

Two verses of Scripture were shared during the message: Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 53:5. These are both wonderful verses that remind us that God planned long before Jesus came to send His son to take on the sins of the world and to never leave us! While listening to the message, my ever-active mind started to get curious about the context of those verses. Although I have read the Bible all the way through, I tend to be like the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt: they forgot! They forgot how horrible slavery was in exchange for erroneous memories of the stability they had. They forgot the beatings they endured for the meals provided for them. They forgot how sparse the meals were for the memory of knowing where their next meal would come from. I too forget the context of some of the most quoted verses in the Bible, of which Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 53:5 are a part.

So I began to read Hebrews 12. This chapter in a nutshell reminds us that God is a loving Father who disciplines us because He loves us. He would not discipline us if He didn’t love us. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the midst of very blatant sins, but more often than not, it’s the subtly-laid sins that capture us, the ones that infect our thoughts!

Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

As I reflected on this, I realized that God gave me the answer to this prominent issue in humanity!

Hebrews 12:11-13 (NLT)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

God also gave me more motivation for fighting this battle that wages war in our minds. I read further in Hebrews 12 to discover that He gives us a clear warning. It is His deepest desire that we worship Him with a pure heart, one that is solely devoted to Him. He wants our heart because when we give Him our hearts, He will not leave us alone but will walk with us through the things we struggle with, especially in our minds.

Hebrews 12:25-29 (NLT)

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

Do you see that the only thing that is unshakable is God Himself? Look to Him today to give you strength to overcome the battle that wages in your mind. I believe there is a scripture that reminds us of this.

1 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NLT)

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

The way to fulfill 1 Peter 2:11 (keep away from worldly desires that wage war against our souls) is to capture those rebellious thoughts, teaching them to obey Christ. Of course, it is only in His Grace that we can do that. So look with me today to the One who will never leave us and will help us capture those thoughts and strongholds in our lives.

In His Grace!