Thanksgiving. Gratitude. Praise. Worship. Silence. Memorization. Meditation. No matter what mindset we are stuck in, all of the above will pull us up and out of the negative quagmire.

I have a friend, who years ago, was walking through a shallow creek. She stepped into a hidden quicksand. In order to get free she had to leave her shoe. Sometimes we have to leave something in order to get free.

1 Peter 2:1 says, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.” What was the ‘therefore’ referring back to? 1 Peter 1:25 says,”But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

The gospel is our foundation for change. Ephesians 4:17 says, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.” Negative mindsets are futile, and they stunt our progress in becoming more like Christ. 

The Greek word for ‘useless’ means: fruitless, empty, futile, hollow, unreal, unproductive, lacking substance, ineffectual, void of results, devoid of force, success, and worthless.

The gospel empowers us to resist all of satan’s weaponry of lies. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

What is that power? Ephesians 1:19-20 says that it is the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead. Verse 19 in the Amplified says, “And (so that you can know and understand) what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe…” 

God is All Powerful. Nothing, and no one has any power because He has it all. All the influence satan has over a believer is through deception. He seeks ways to build strongholds of lies within our hearts. Those strongholds will always be torn down through God’s word which is eternal (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Colossians 3:2 Amplified says, “And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.” 1 Corinthians 2:16 is an eternal, incorruptible truth. It says, “…But we have the mind of Christ.”

We are born from the will of God. His will is written all through Scripture. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 could not be clearer. It says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

How does that translate into our everyday experience? We sculpt the physical structure of our brain through our thoughts. It is called neuroplasticity. We can create new healthy neuro connections through meditating on God’s word.

Romans 12:2 called it, “…transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Ephesians 4:23 Amplified says, “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude).” Scientific research says that repetitive negative thinking increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Caroline Leaf, a Christian neuroscientist says that toxic thoughts rewire our brain. Bitterness causes acid to drop and burn apart healthy neuro connections. Our thoughts, negative or affirmative, affect every aspect of our life. Therefore, it behooves us to program them through the truth of the gospel. We are not captives of satan’s devices. We are more than conquerors!

James 1:18 says, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth…” The Amplified says, “…He gave us birth (as sons) by (His) Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures  (a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself).”

Consecrated is another word for sanctified. It means to be set apart. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is Truth. He came to die for us, that we might walk in His truth, and proclaim it through our lives. John 8:31 was the criteria for a disciple. It says, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”

His next statement was referring to the truth that becomes our experience. It is the truth that we live in and display through our actions. Verse 32 says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The word ‘know’ is the recognition of truth by personal experience. I love Ephesians 3:19 in the Amplified. It says, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience)…”

Picture the rest of the verse through your own relationship with the Lord. “…that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)!”

Paul gave their credentials as ministers. 2 Corinthians 6:7 Amplified says, “By (speaking) the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand (to attack) and for the left hand (to defend).”

I want to highlight one weapon of righteousness. We are the children of God’s will. That is a weapon you can use when negative thoughts against yourself, others, or your circumstances bombard your mind.

John 1:12-13 says that as many as receive Jesus as their Savior, “…He gave the right to become children of God…who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Before God formed us in our mother’s womb, Jeremiah 1:5 says that He knew us. His will for our entire life was stamped into our seed of conception. Everything that He allows is His will.

If we deflect the trial through our resistant thoughts, then we are resisting God’s will. To deflect means to refuse to acknowledge. Romans 14:23 says, “…whatever is not from faith is sin.” This is in the context of eating something that might offend another. We can personally apply it to our trials. We embrace them by faith, knowing they are God’s will, and accepting them as His instrument for our good.

James 1:2 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” We embrace our trials with our spirit. Our flesh runs from them. Our spirit welcomes our trials, but our flesh views them as intruders.

James 1:2-2 in the J. B. Phillips says, “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance.”

All trials have God’s purpose stamped on them. If He has allowed us to fall into a trial, we can welcome it and embrace it as we would a treasured friend. Our new trial is a grace gift that the Lord will unwrap for us as we continue to humble our heart.

Anything that we try to process through our flesh, will seem foolish and unnecessary. It is a bother that we want to deflect, dismiss, or ignore. When we process our trials through our spirit, we stand in what we know. Our hope in God anchors our mind, will, and emotions. It fortifies our spirit man.

Embracing means that we accept it, and begin to process it through the character of the Lord. 2 Peter 1:4 says that through His promises we become partakers of His nature. Romans 8:28 says that He works all things together for good. We embrace His goodness and enter into it through our thoughts.

We stand in verses that sustain, nourish, secure, and strengthen our inner man. We cling to the Lord with barnacle faith. Trials test our faith, like a refiner tests for alloys in precious metals.

Here is a note in my Amplified regarding Proverbs 25:22. Samuel Wesley wrote: “So artists melt the sullen ore of lead, by heaping coals of fire upon its head: In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow, and pure from dross the silver runs below.”

Our flesh tries to repel the fire, but God uses it to flush out the lies that hide it. Part of a trial’s purpose is to set us free from the unseen that keeps us captive. Heavy metals in our body hide parasites. When we go through a detox process, the parasites come out with the heavy metals. Their hiding place was destroyed. 

When we bring detoxing truth into our inner being, the hidden lies are exposed. As we implant God’s word in our heart, their hiding places are destroyed. James 1:21 says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul.”

I like to think of ‘implant’ as a sliver that embeds itself. It has to be removed or it will fester. When we embed God’s word into the walls of our heart, it permeates our thought process. Truth is woven in, like threads in fabric.

Here is the opposite of perverse. Proverbs 3:32 Amplified says, “…but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the (uncompromisingly) righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).”

Psalm 25:14 Amplified says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.”

When our way is conformed to God’s way, we will have clear direction through our intimacy with Him. John 15:15 says, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

All that we need to know is in His word. Our communion with Him is through His word.  Verse 4 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

The Amplified says, “…without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine…” As vital as our breath is to living, so is our intimate communion with the Lord. Verse 5 says, “…without Me you can do nothing.”

The Lord has prepared everything we will ever walk in. Blessings, trials, adversities, good works, conversations, etc. because the list could go on. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says that our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, nor have we comprehended or grasped the things that He has prepared for those who love Him.

Verse 10 says that He has revealed them to us through His Holy Spirit. The Amplified says, “…for the (Holy) Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God (the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny).”

The path of obedience is strewn with grace. The condition for the promise of grace is humility. I love to picture John 1:16 in the Amplified. It says, “For out  of His fullness (abundance) we have all received (all had a share and we were all supplied with) one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift (heaped) upon gift.”

No disobedience is ever worth it. We will reap whatever disobedience we sow. We never reap in the season we sow. Sometimes we may think that we got away with our sin. Numbers 32:23 says, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.”

Let nothing rival your time of intimate communion with the Lord. He often speaks whispered words. They are like a wisp that floats over our heart. Our flesh is noisy and blocks us from hearing clearly. As we come to Him, we need to silence our heart and wait in expectation. His Presence is our true resting place.

The story about Balaam is really interesting. He was told by God to not go with the men. He clearly understood that. Numbers 22:13 says, “…Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.”

Years ago I heard a father say to his son, “What part of no do you not understand? The N or the O?” Balaam pressed the envelope. The king sent more men. Read their words from the king carefully. Verse 16-17 says, “…Please let nothing hinder you…for I will certainly honor you greatly…”

I want to jump ahead to what Jude wrote. Verse 11 says, “…they…have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit…” Moses asked a question of those who disobeyed in war. Numbers 31:16 says, “Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord…”

Anytime our way opposes God’s way, He will stand as an adversary against us. God Himself will block our path. We see this clearly in the narrative. Balaam went anyway. Numbers 22:22 says, “Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand against him…”

Have you ever felt walled in? Verse 24 says, “Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.”

Have you ever felt trapped? Verse 26 says, “Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.”

Verse 32 could not be clearer. It says, “…Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me.” Perverse means to be obstinate. Proverbs 3:32 says, “For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord…”

Psalm 18:25-26 says, “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.” The Hebrew word for shrewd is to be twisted or to wrestle. Tomorrow I want to do a deep dive into the opposite of perverse.

Everything that the Lord does in our lives is for His name’s sake. The Red Sea seemingly was an obstacle in the children of Israel’s path. What did they do? They allowed fear to overtake them. God’s eternal purpose was about to be played out before their eyes.

Verse 18 says, “Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” All God’s purposes for our lives were birthed in eternity. When I think about this truth, it feels like the sides of my mind expand. 

We know from Job 42:2, that no one, nor any thing can thwart God. As the children of Israel faced the uncrossable Red Sea, they saw it only as an obstacle. Exodus 14 revealed His purpose for those who had ears to hear. Verse 13 is great instruction for us as well when we face an obstacle.

Moses spoke, “…Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord…” God’s plan was to use the Red Sea as the vehicle with which He would destroy their enemy. He opened the way for them, but closed it as the Egyptians were in the middle.

He took off their chariot wheels to trouble them. The Egyptians knew it was God. Verse 25 says, “…Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Verse 27 says, “…when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” The Lord will use our obstacles to reveal Himself to us in a new way.

There were more obstacles that the children of Israel would face. We are to learn from their experiences so we don’t follow their fleshly reactions. Right after the Red Sea victory, there was no water to drink. Their fleshly reaction was to complain. 

They complained again in Numbers 11. Verse 1 says, “…the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused…” They looked back to what they used to have, and in their pride they forgot about the Lord’s promises for them.

2 Peter 1:3 says that He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” Are you content? Paul said that he learned contentment. If he had to learn it, then most certainly we do as well.

How do we do that? 2 Peter 1:4 says, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…” When our path is blocked and we don’t understand, we can stand still believing is what we do know through God’s promises.

We enter into and share His nature through them. I love 2 Timothy 2:13. It says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” We enter into His nature of faithfulness by looking to Him instead of our obstacle.

We set our eyes on Him, just as He set His eyes on the joy that was set before Him. His focus empowered Him to endure. When we gaze at the Lord through His attributes, our obstacle fades into the background. We will be like the three disciples in Matthew 17:8. It says, “When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”

When my path is blocked, I often turn to Acts 16:6-10 and reread it. It is a heart check for me. Obstacles can frustrate, protect, or redirect. They have a divine purpose. When our heart is humble, the Lord will give us clarity.

In verse 6 it says that they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit. Verse 7 says, “…but the Spirit did not permit them.” Then Paul had a vision. Through the vision, he received clear direction. The resistance and the open door were both directed by the Holy Spirit.

It reminds me of Revelation 3:7. It is speaking of the Lord, “…He opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” The Lord will frustrate us when we try to open a door that He has shut, or will keep a door firmly shut that we try to press through.

I use this verse when I pray for folks that need to make a decision. Praying Scripture is a sure way of conforming our way to God’s way. It is speaking truth that agrees with His eternal purpose.

I think back to Paul when an opportunity opened for him. 1 Corinthians 16:9 says, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” He had other plans, but verse 7 says, “…if the Lord permits.”  When the new door opened, he remained where he was. 

In Ephesians 6:19 he asked for prayer for himself, “…that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.” In all that Paul did after his conversion, it was always to make God’s word clear to his hearers.

When our path is blocked we need discernment. A few days ago I wrote about the fruit of humility is discernment. James 4:6 is such a well known verse. It is easy to skip over the first part. We want grace. God’s condition to His gift is humility. 

The first part is our reality check. It says, “…God resists the proud…” When we are resisted, we need to check our heart. Are we prideful? Are we pushing for our own way? Are we being impatient because something isn’t happening as fast as we had hoped?

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 uses the word ‘all’ five times. Verse 5-6 says, “But with most of the God was not well pleased…Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”

Lust is a byproduct of pride. Think of the 10 Commandments. What is the last one? Exodus 20:17 says, “You shall not covet…” What is coveting? My personal definition is wanting something that God has not given me.

I believe that the Holy Spirit will put a check in our heart the moment that we begin to dialogue in our thoughts that are contrary to God’s way. Psalm 23:3 says, “…He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” I will continue this tomorrow.

Think of Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” The Hebrew word for ordered means: to be firm, be stable, be established, be secure, be enduring, to be fixed.

It reminds me of Ephesians 1:4-5 which says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”

The word ‘predestined’ means to foreordain, predetermine, mark out beforehand. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever  you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Our course was charted before the beginning of time. When the Lord created us, He did so with all that would take place in our lives. Jeremiah 1:5 says that He knew us before He formed us in the womb.

Our progressive sanctification is a journey to be made holy. That is achieved as we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us. Anything that we do in our flesh is futile, empty, worthless, unproductive, ineffectual, and absolutely void of results. That is the way of the world. We are called out of the world system.

Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world…” The rest of the verse is the opposite. It requires diligence on our part. It says, “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Our trials conform us to His image. They help us to walk in the prescribed path as we look to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He gives us revelational insight to navigate through our hardships, trials, and adversities. They are designed to bring out and develop the character of Christ in us.

Everything in our life works together. Our fruit is two-fold. First, it glorifies the Lord. Second, it is for others to eat. What is your fruit like? Is it succulent and delicious? Does it exude words that come from your relationship with the Lord?

2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” That ‘comfort’ comes when we abide with the Lord in intimate communion.

It is unique to you. They are His words that sustained you in your trial. They were worked deeply into your heart, like a tapestry is woven. The beauty is on the outside, whereas underneath the threads are crisscrossed, knotted, and there seems to be no distinguishable pleasing pattern.

Colossians 2:6-7 says, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving keeps us from bearing bitter fruit that no one would want to eat.

In Nehemiah 8 Ezra read the Law of Moses. Verse 1 says that they gathered as one man. He read it from morning to midday. Verse 3 says, “…the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”

Verse 8 says, “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading.” In the backdrop of what they heard, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength” (verse 10).

Verse 12 says, “And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.” Then in chapter nine the people confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

Do you see the connection? It was the reading and understanding of God’s Law that brought conviction. So it is with us. Without the daily reading of God’s word, we will not understand or recognize how our flesh creeps in.

2 Timothy 2:15 is not just for pastors and teachers. It is for everyone. It says “Be diligent to present yourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

As we systematically read our Bible, we are reading in context. Some of it is expressly for Israel, yet we can still make personal applications. Some promises are conditional, so we need to know what God’s conditions are.

I like to visit Isaiah 58 frequently. The chapter is about fasting. Verse 6 says, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?”

How does that apply to our lives? Let’s read further. Verse 10 in the Amplified says, “And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.”

Did you catch the condition? Reading God’s word, and spending our quiet time with the Lord in intimate communion fills the condition when He is our sustenance. Our heart’s will be filled with hope and encouragement for others. His word in us will literally be the power behind our conversations with others.

Here is another. Through Psalm 15 the Holy Spirit will bring conviction if we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart that is open. The question started with verse 1. Who can abide or dwell in God’s presence?

Verses 2-5 are great barometers for us. They are like a template for walking in the Spirit. Here are a few. Are you speaking truth in your heart, or are you dialoguing with lies, or negative thoughts against yourself, others, or your circumstances? (verse 2).

Are you walking in heart integrity? Is your message and messenger the same? Do you say that you have fellowship with the Lord, but there is no fruit in your life to glorify Him? Verse 4 says, “…he who swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” 1 John 1:6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

Pride blocks discernment. Actually, pride blocks all things spiritual. James 4:6 says that God resists the proud. It takes a heart of humility to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. 

There is an interesting verse about the tribe of Issachar. 1 Chronicles 12:32 says, “Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”

Isaiah 33:6 says, “Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.” Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are components of discernment. Discernment is seeing through all FLAK to the true nature of a thing. Peter wrote about false prophets. Paul said that there is a gift of discerning of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). 

The apostle John wrote about this also. 1 John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

We know, according to Paul’s warning to Timothy, that there are deceiving spirits. 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

Discernment is crucial in our progressive sanctification journey. Our compass should always point true north to God’s word. There we will find no lies, or any slight deviation from truth because it is eternal. Titus 1:2 says that God cannot lie.

All lies spring from satan. Jesus addressed this with Abraham’s descendants. John 8:44 says, “…does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

When a new teller is being trained, they are given real money. Why? There are myriad counterfeits. It would be pointless to show them a counterfeit and expect them to recognize one. Their senses are trained to discern by daily handling only true money.

Our senses are trained as we daily read God’s words of truth and walk in them. The second a lie comes, our sentinel of truth within rises up to warn us. Studying satan’s lies is futile.

When I was in grade school, I used a word that got my mouth washed out with soap. It was a word that I picked up at school. I innocently asked my mom to tell me all the dirty words so I wouldn’t get my mouth washed out with soap again.

David’s covered up lies reaped severe consequences. Many of his Psalms were written from that perspective. I love Psalm 25:4-5 which says, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.” We can make them our prayer as well. When our heart is wallpapered with truth, then discernment will protect us.