Think of Moses. In order for his request to see the Lord’s glory, He hid him in the cleft of the rock. Exodus 33:21-22 says, “…Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.”

When I read verse 22 hymns come to mind. Rock Of Ages. Hiding In Thee. A Shelter In The Time Of Storm. Following on the heels of those titles are a stream of verses. Here are a few you can look up. 

Psalm 62:2 says, “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” Verse 7 says, “In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”

Psalm 61:2 says, “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” 

1 John 1:6 says, “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Everything in our Christian life comes down to our relationship with the Lord. 

When there is hidden sin, it blocks our fellowship with Him and with others. Verse 7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.”

Psalms 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” This is a good verse to think about when we are not getting an answer to prayer. Iniquity is doing anything independent of the Lord.

Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil.” What is the fruit? Verse 8 says, “It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.”

3 John verse 4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

2 Peter 1:4 says, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakes of the divine nature…” We are called to participate with Him as His image bearers.

Hebrews 1:3 says, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” The Greek word for express image is charakter. How do we do that? When we are offended we respond with grace. 

I like to think of it this way. We come in the opposite spirit. Proverbs 15:1 is a great example. It says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Another one of my favorites is Proverbs 25:15 in the Amplified. It says, “By long forbearance and calmness of spirit a judge or ruler is persuaded, and soft speech breaks down the most bone-like resistance.”

Quarreling doesn’t work. It is a futile battle of flesh against flesh. James 3:14 says, “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.”

Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus. Not all the children of Israel entered the promised land.

Moses and Aaron were God’s spokesman to Pharaoh. Their God-given authority was challenged time and again. Exodus 16 was one of those times. In verse 8 Moses said, “…for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him…Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

Everything that God allows in our lives has a divine assignment. To negative dialogue against it, is against the Lord. He calls us into the trials that He has designed to conform us to His image.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…” Keeping His promises in our hearts, will empower us to persevere and fulfill His purpose.

The Angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam, “…Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak. So Balaam went…” Numbers 22:35. You can read the whole account for yourself.

When Balaam came to Balak he reminded him that he had no power at all to say anything, Verse 38 says, “…The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.” In Numbers 23: 17 Balak asked Balaam what the Lord had spoken.

He opened his mouth and in verse 19 he said, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

John 3:34 says, “…For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God…” Jesus told the Jews who sought to kill Him. John 5:19 says, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Psalm 119:15 says, “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.” Did you note the “I will meditate”? Psalm 63:6 says, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” Great verse to incorporate when you can’t sleep.

Inner dialogue is a form of meditating. That is how the Lord designed for us to prosper. He told Joshua to meditate in His word day and night. Joshua 1:8. The Hebrew thought for meditating on Scripture is to repeat them softly, while utterly abandoning outside distractions.

1828 Noah Webster’s Diction has this definition for establish. To set and fix firmly or unalterably; to settle permanently. He used Genesis 17:7 as an example. It says, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant…”

We are the only ones responsible to control our thoughts. Therefore as custodians of our minds, we need to be faithful housekeepers. We do that by implanting His word through memorizing and meditating. His word is eternally unchangeable. 

It was 2006. My mom’s doctor called me to say that the PET scan showed she was full of cancer. She didn’t have much time to live. At the time, my daily reading had me in the middle of Exodus. I knew that would not sustain me. I fled to the Psalms. I read them for six months over and over. Here is a new song from that time.

Sustained 

I’m sustained by Your Word, O Lord. It’s like glue that holds my grieving heart together. Your peace is like warm oil. That penetrates and soothes. Your truth is my shield and my refuge. It’s my rock in which I hide. You are my strength, O Lord. Each breath I take I’m breathing in Your presence. Every moment You are there. To comfort and to bear. In Your arms I am secure. For I am nurtured in Your love.

Bringing God’s word into our thought processes will keep us walking in the Spirit, and subduing our flesh that wants center stage. Psalm 119:1 says, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!” 

Let’s look at Asaph’s Psalm 77. In verse 2-3 he wrote, “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord…I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.” He dialogued back and forth. Verse 10-12 reveals to us what his thoughts were causing and how he turned them in another direction.

It says, “…This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” 

Stating “I will” are two words of intention. Note how they changed the course of his thought pattern. When you are in a negative thought trail, stop it with “I will…” and course correction will come. 

Jeremiah did the same thing. His thoughts were spiraling down in a negative way because of his circumstances. Lamentations 3:1-20. Verse 21 says, “This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.” Then he declared who the Lord is. Verses 22-23. He is merciful and compassionate. His faithfulness is great.

We understand from Proverbs 23:7 that we shape our lives through our thoughts. It says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”

Psalm 112:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” Of that person, verse 7 says, “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:21 says, “The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning.” Our words come from our thoughts. Stop. Listen to what you are saying about you to yourself or about others and you will understand your thoughts.

Where do your thoughts go the moment you encounter a disturbing situation? My flesh longs to dialogue about it. However, I know that is a futile activity. Therefore I’ve learned that I must think and speak truth. Since Truth is a Person, focusing on Who the Lord is at all times diverts that fleshly appetite.

What do you believe about yourself? Is it based solely on what the Lord says, or what you perceive through your life’s experiences? Our heart belief comes from our perceptions. This is why we are instructed to renew our minds through Scripture.

Old patterns of thoughts are not erased at salvation. Romans 12:2 says that it is the renewing of our mind that brings inner transformation. That is a daily activity that cannot be neglected. Ephesians 4:23 Amplified says, “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude).”

Our attitudes come from our thoughts. I love Psalm 139. Verse 2 says, “…You understand my thought afar off.” Verse 4 says, “For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether…”

That is such a safety net for us! I was controlled by fiery dart lies, until I found out in 1993 that not every one of my thoughts was of my own origin. I began asking the Holy Spirit to reveal them so I could renounce and forsake them.