We create a whole scene or conversation in our mind through inner dialogue. What does it accomplish? Nothing. It is all futile because we have no control over our next moment. We often fall into this flesh-trap because we want to figure something out.

An inner dialogue sows weed seeds. Galatians 6:7 says that what we sow we will reap. There is the law of the harvest to consider. We sow a little but we reap an abundance. Think of one kernel of corn. One plant has multiple ears which has multiple kernels.

Proverbs 16:1 says, “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” We are created to plan and to strategically implement. It becomes a futile pursuit however when we are not looking to the Lord for the wisdom to plan.

James addressed this issue with his readers. James 4:14 is our reminder. It says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow…” Think back to how you entered your last or current trial. James 1:2 indicates that we fall into them unexpectedly.

I have friends who lost everything in the California Paradise Fire. They went to bed one night. The plans they had in place for the morning never came about. Instead they had to flee for their lives. 

I have a friend who went to bed one night as usual. In the wee hours of the morning he woke up with chest pain. He told his wife, took his last breath, and died. When I was helping her clear out his things, I noticed that he had laid out his shoes. His socks and underwear were folded nicely on top.  He was ready for the next morning.

How then shall we live? James 4:14-15 says, “…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

I like to keep verse 17 in my mind. I use it as a warning when my mind wants to go off into a mental dialogue. It says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

When the Lord says, ‘Do not’ and we do, we enter into sin every time. No question. 1 Samuel 12:21 says, “And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.”

Mindless futility is a waste of the things that the Lord has given us to steward for His glory. Romans 1:21 says, “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

The word ‘futile’ in the Greek means: fruitless, empty, hollow, unreal, unproductive, lacking substance, ineffectual, void of results, useless, and worthless. We were redeemed from such a void! Ephesians 4:1 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.”

Here is what the Holy Spirit helped me understand. I could plausibly make excuses because of my brain injuries. I’m setting them aside as I evaluate the root He showed me. Parts of my heart are uncultivated. Weed seeds have proliferated. Now that I have purposed again to memorize Scripture, I have discovered that there is fallow ground that needs to be tilled first.

Hosea 10:12 is my template. I must be diligent to break up the fallow ground in my mind. It says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”

There were years in my life where I lived in futile mental dialogue trying to figure out things that only the Lord had answers for. Ephesians 5:16 says, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” My unredeemed time had allowed hard clods of excuses to gather. They keep the seed of His word from going deeply into fertile soil so that it can bear fruit for His glory.

God’s hidden word will keep the soil of our heart plowed. It will sterilize any weed seeds, and the clods will continually be broken up. His memorized word will root deeply in prepared soil. Mark 4:20 says, “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

In our standing in Christ we are redeemed, justified, and set free from sin’s dominion. In our state we still battle our flesh. James 4:1 says, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” 

What happened to Eve? Genesis 3:6 says that she saw something that she desired though God had said ‘Do not’ and she did. Isn’t that what we still battle with? Mark 4:19 says that the desire for other things choke out God’s word.

What is choking God’s word in your heart? Genesis 4:7 recorded God’s word to Cain. We do well to heed it ourselves. It says of sin’s temptations, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

The Hebrew meaning for ‘rule’ is to exercise dominion over something. We are talking about our God given authority to exercise that dominion which Jesus gave us through His death on the cross. Remember that He triumphed over satan and his minions.

Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” It is important to note what Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created…through Him and for Him.”

James 1:14-15 recorded the progression of a temptation. Note that the flesh-trap is our own hidden desires. It says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin…”

How do we go from being enticed to conceiving sin? We dialogue in our mind through our thoughts. The crux of the matter is there is hidden fleshly desire that has not been acknowledged and confessed. When the temptation comes, we easily slide into an inner dialogue. We mull over the temptation and the desire for other things chokes out the truth of the gospel.

Romans 6:6 says in reference to our being buried with Christ in His death at salvation. It says, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

When we accepted Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for ourselves, we were set free from the slave block of sin. That is our standing. Verse 13 is our state. It says, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin…”

God says, ‘do not’ and we do when we are enticed through our flesh-trap, and we yield to the temptation and enter into sin. The verse instructs us what we are to do when tempted. It says, “…but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Unrighteousness, according to Romans 1:18, suppresses the truth of God’s word. Walking in righteousness requires us to continually yield to the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Verse 5 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh…” That is the flesh trap. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart…” What does that mean? If I allow hidden sin to remain, which according to Hebrews 3:14, it will harden my heart through my own self-deception.

James 1:16 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Our hidden sin is only hidden through our self-deception, because we don’t recognize the thorn-fruit.

Who can refute God’s word? No one! All through history there has been a fight against God’s word. There still is today. Psalm 18:30 says that God’s word is proven. Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

Seven speaks of perfection or completeness. Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s word will never return to Him void. John 1:14 revealed that Jesus is the word. It 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.”

God’s word sanctifies our heart. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” When we feed on God’s word we will prosper. When we speak it in our hearts we will not stumble and fall.

Psalm 103:5 says, “Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.” This is our prescription for health: spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

When we have a poor diet we will suffer needlessly. I’m referring not only to the food we eat but also our words. Proverbs 15:17 says, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.”

Proverbs 17:1 says, “Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.” Strife often leads to hatred. 1 John 2:11 says, “But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

How does bitterness, anger, clamor, hatred, and strife affect our health? Bitterness causes chemical imbalance. It also causes an acid drip in our brain that destroys neuro pathways.

Anger is rooted in unresolved issues. Clamor is shouting vehemently. Strife comes from inner conflict resulting in outer conflict with others. Each of these affect our health. What thoughts do you dine on? 

Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” A diet of meditating on God’s faithfulness is sweet and delectable. Think about how that translates in our conversations.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.” I looked up to see why king Solomon compared honeycombs and bones. Honeycomb has a mesh-like interior. It contains vital nutrients that enhance our health: collagen, calcium, protein, and other minerals. Our bones have a mesh-like interior also. 

Pleasant words enhance our health and the health of the ones we speak to. Ephesians 4:29 says that we are to impart grace to our hearers. Proverbs 16:21 says, “The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning.”

David was wise. He asked the Lord something that we can ask also. Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Our lips are the vehicle which our words travel through. Have you ever spewed out words you wish you could have stopped?

The only way to stop our words is through the right thoughts. When we dwell in God’s word, and His word dwells in us, we will be carriers of His righteousness to others. We will build them up instead of tear them down.

Proverbs 30:32-33 says, “If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.” Good advice. Verse 33 says, “For as the churning of milk produces butter, and wringing the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”

A poem from my childhood came into my mind. I looked it up. It was written by Rudyard Kipling. The first part goes like this: “If you can keep your head when those about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”

What does the Bible say? Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word  stirs up anger.” Proverbs 25:15 Amplified says, “By long forbearance and calmness of spirit a judge or ruler is persuaded, and soft speech breaks down the more bonelike resistance.”

The above two verses are heart armor for interpersonal relationships. My dad used to say, “Convince a woman against her will, and she will be of the same opinion still.” Bonelike resistance are two words condensed into one ~ stubbornness.

1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord…” Hosea 10:13 says, “You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way…”

Let’s unpack this. Witchcraft is seeking to control another with a spirit that is not the Holy Spirit. Our personal agenda, and our fleshly tenacity to hold onto our opinion can be idolatry.

Ezekiel 14:4 says, “…Everyone…who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity…I the Lord will answer him…according to the multitude of his idols.” This verse was written to the house of Israel but we can make personal applications.

There is a vast difference between righteous conviction and fleshly driven opinions. An opinion is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

Romans 14:4 gave the parameters of a righteous conviction. It says, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

The book of the Acts has many narratives of folks standing in righteous conviction. Peter and John were commanded to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Acts 4:19-20 says, “But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

There was quick and severe action against Ananias and Sapphira. Their heart idol cost them their lives. Acts 5:3 says, “…why has satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…?”

Here is a discerning question to ask yourself. What opinion fills my heart that creates interpersonal conflicts? Colossians 3:13 says, “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

We cannot effectively convince a person against their opinion. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. We usurp His role when we try. In order to walk in unity, we need to put Ephesians 4:2 into practice. It says, “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.”

Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Here is a verse I have taped to my kitchen cabinet door. Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Great verse and one that we need to live by in order to exemplify the Lord in all aspects of our lives.

I want you to picture a sponge in your mind. We have a secret weapon to fight negativity. Gratitude is like a sponge that soaks up the negative atmosphere. We can express gratitude at any given moment in our lives.

It doesn’t need to have a perfect setting. Gratitude is a heart attitude. Think of ‘an attitude of gratitude’ as a warrior’s weapon. It can instantly dispel any negative thought that rushes into your mind. A negative thought against another, yourself, or your circumstances often come through a fiery dart.

What if you are talking to someone and they start speaking negatively? You can instantly switch your mind into being grateful. If you watch, the speaker’s facial expression will change. We become part of causing the enemy’s plan to fail. Victory in Jesus!

Negative folks have a critical spirit. They can find fault with anything set before them. It is a cycle of judging another with a critical eye, which then is measured back to them. Isn’t that what Matthew 7:2 says? Here are the words, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Romans 2:1 says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Ugh!

The Greek word ‘judge’ in both of the above verses means by implication. Implication means: the conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated. In other words, we judge from our own conclusions about something without knowing all the facts.

It goes back to treating others as we would want to be treated. Ephesians 4:32 says that we are to forgive with the same measure that we have been forgiven. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says that being thankful is God’s will. Negativity is against it. He created us in His image. I’m certainly grateful that He is never negative! We can take our cue from Him.

Proverbs 22:9 says, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.” Isaiah 58:10 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.”

A negative person is shriveled in their spirit like a dehydrated prune. The cure for dehydration is water. God’s word is living water according to John 4:10 and John 7:38. When our intimate communion with the Lord is what sustains us, then we will be a living conduit of His truths that will refresh those we speak to. 

Since every action is first a thought, then we can intentionally direct our actions through our thoughts. Intentional means done on purpose or deliberate. We can not accurately say that someone or some circumstance made us do something.

Our actions are of our own making. They come from what we dwell on through our mental dialogue. A negative dialogue comes from our heart’s core belief which comes from our past experiences. 

Psalm 15:2 encourages us to speak truth in our heart. We gain our truth from God’s word. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Psalm 104:34 says, “May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.” In Psalm 19:14 David was praying. Let our words echo his. It says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Our thoughts can either bring mental fatigue or mental clarity and strength. A negative dialogue causes us to spiral down emotionally. A righteous dialogue builds up our faith and stabilizes our walk with the Lord.

A negative dialogue goes against our design. It brings confusion to our brain. A negative person has not guarded their heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Let’s look at what happens when we are not diligent. In Proverbs 24:330-34 we read a short discourse of a man who lacked diligence. Consider this passage as a picture into his heart.

Verse 30-31 says, “I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.”

We have to ask ourselves: is my heart full of thorns? Mark 4:19 described the result of not being diligent to root out thorns. It says, “And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

A negative person is not content. They see everything in their life through a cloudy lens. They are centered on self and cannot see beyond their own needs. The word of God does not occupy their mind. Other things have entered and choked it.

There was a back field at my old house that was full of star thistle. It was very proficient at sowing weed seeds. If I tried to pull one up, I had to use gloves because the needles were prickly. In Proverbs 24:31 it said that the ground was covered with nettles. A negative person is prickly.

Peter encouraged his readers to diligently add to their faith. He gave a list of things to add. Then in verse 8 he wrote, “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Verse 9 is very insightful regarding our hearts. It says, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”

A negative person’s heart is barren. It is overgrown with thorns and nettles, and its protective hedge of God’s word is broken down. How then do they course correct? First by acknowledging that they have been negligent. They have failed to bring in God’s word to pull out the overgrowth of weeds.

God’s word is a good seed that will flourish in any heart with fertile soil. They will bear much fruit for the glory of the Lord. Their speech will impart grace, and will encourage all who hear their words. Let us be diligent to keep our heart so that our meditation is sweet to the Lord who alone hears our thoughts.

All thoughts come laced with our motives. Our motives come from what we believe from the myriad experiences in our lives. We tend to blame things on our past, others, or our own sinful choices. The ‘blame’ is rooted in sin. When we accepted the Lord as our personal Savior, we were indwelt by the Spirit of truth.

In John 14:16=17, Jesus gave a promise. It says, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Does that truth mean that we will never sin again? Paul addressed that question in Romans 6. Verse 1–2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

When did we die to sin? Verse 4 says, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” At salvation we died to sin. That is our standing. Jude verse 24 says, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”

Our state is another matter. We must die to the fleshly pull of sin’s lure. Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

How then shall we live? Paul’s way to live was stated in Galatians 2:20. It says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Then he further stated a truth that we can stand in. 

Verse 21 says, “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” How do we ‘set aside grace’ but through living in the pride of our flesh. James 4:6 says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

How do we live in humility? It is through our thoughts. At any given moment in our lives, we can stop and think about what we are thinking. All thoughts precede our actions. We do not act except from a thought. It seems simple then to just control our thoughts. Nothing about resisting sin is by rote. It takes concerted effort to keep our thoughts stayed on the Lord.

If for a moment you allow your thoughts to roam where do they go? Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Dead things have no ability to respond. Being dead to sin is our standing, but keeping our thoughts in that truth is a fight. The battleground is our mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. How do we do that? It depends on what we have programmed into our mind through what we believe about ourselves. Do we live by the gospel? 1 Corinthians 1:18 says that the message of the cross is the power of God. That is the power that we need to live in daily in order to remain free from sin’s lures.

Let’s remember God’s progression in our trials. Romans 5:3-4 says that first comes the trial, hardship, or adversity. Through that we learn perseverance. God uses our walk in perseverance to develop our character. Through that development hope is established.

Verse 5 says, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Our trials, hardships, and adversities are enveloped in God’s love. His love is unconditional.
Remind yourself often that God is never disappointed. His love encompasses every aspect of our lives. Hebrews 12:5-9 was written to help us understand that a large part of our progressive sanctification is discipline because He loves us.

Verse 10 started out in reference to our earthly fathers. It says, “For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.”

The resulting profit of our chastening was further stated in verse 11. In the Amplified it says, “For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action…”

His discipline is profitable only to those who are trained by it. Have you ever had to repeat a trial? I have. How many dorm mothers have had young girls under their tutelage that did not get along with their mothers? The girls will complain, ‘My dorm mother is just like my mom!’

Perhaps it is a young man who went into the military to escape what he considered was his overbearing father. He soon found out that his drill sergeant was far stricter. The Lord does not allow us to escape His method of training. His goal is to develop our character through every trying circumstance in our lives.

I think about the trials I’ve had to repeat. They were all for my spiritual growth and well being. I did not suffer unjustly. I’m drawn back to Hebrews 5:8. I cannot imagine what it was like for the Lord. It says, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange things happened to you.” Every trail is divinely orchestrated for our good. Let us embrace what the Lord is using to conform us to His image that He might be glorified.

Disappointment is rooted in broken expectations. Proverbs 25:19 says, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble, is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.” Have you ever tried to walk on a broken foot? There is no stability.

Let’s link James 1:6-8 with broken expectations. The three verses go back to verse 5 which is asking God for wisdom during our trials. They say, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Our expectations in man will fail. Jesus instructed His followers. Mark 11:22 says, “…Have faith in God.” When we turn to anything or anyone other than the Lord in our time of trouble, our expectations will be broken.

Man can plan, but only God has control. Proverbs 16:1 says, “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” Verse 3 is a clear direction for each one of us.

It says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” When we compare ‘established’ with ‘double-minded’ we can easily see the difference. The Hebrew word for ‘commit’ means to roll, roll down, roll away, remove.

The word is aptly illustrated with a loaded camel. When the load is to be removed, the camel kneels down, tilts far to one side, and the load rolls off. What a picture for us! We are to roll our troubles off onto the Lord through trusting prayer.

Have you ever given your burden to the Lord and then taken it back? That only proves that we did not trust Him to carry it for us. Pride sneaks in and we think that we can do it through worry. Worry divides our mind and brings disordered thoughts.

Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” Verse 7 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…” Verse 8 says, “…do not fret—it only causes harm.”

Do you know what fretting does? It rubs until it wears away. Fret means to be constantly or visibly worried or anxious. It also means to gradually wear something away by rubbing or gnawing.

Worry, anxiety, and fear cause our brain to signal our body to go into a fight or flight mode. The Lord created us with the ability to fight or flee when we are in danger. However, chronic  worry, anxiety, or fear keeps our sympathetic system in the fight or flight mode even though there is no danger. It keeps us in stress which raises cortisol.

Disappointment can linger unless we process it to acceptance. We do that by first acknowledging our sin of placing our expectation on someone or something. We agree with the Lord that we usurped His place. We ask for His forgiveness, and then stand in His grace to move beyond our disappointment.

Only the Lord can fulfill His promise. He is our Masterful Orchestrator. Man has no control over anything except his thoughts. We are the only ones who can control our thoughts. We lay a great foundation for our thought processes through memorizing and meditating on God’s word.

Have you ever felt that God was disappointed in you? It is a lie! It is impossible for God to be disappointed. Why? He has no expectations. He knows your thoughts before you even think them. He knows every nuance of your lives.

We fall prey to the lies of the enemy when we do not walk in the knowledge of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

We will never plumb the depths of Who God is. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

I love Isaiah 40. There are many great verses about the Lord. Verse 12 says, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?”

Verse 14 is a good one to keep us in perspective when we are facing what seems like an impossible circumstance. It says, “With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?”

Verse 28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.”

Colossians 2:3 says, “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 1:10 is for us to apply. It says, “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

The word ‘increase’ means that there is a beginning and a gradual adding to. What did Peter instruct his reader to add to their faith? 2 Peter 1:5-7 was a list of inner graces. Have you been adding: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love?

Verse 8 says, “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We gain by growing. It doesn’t matter how many years you have known the Lord. The key question is: are you growing in your knowledge of Him?

Ephesians 3:19 Amplified says, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience); 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)!”

Increasing in our knowledge of God, and getting to know Him through the experiences of our lives, is a powerful weapon that will be like a shield to protect us from satan’s fiery dart lies. When the lie ‘God is disappointed in you’ comes, we know how to counter it. We affirm the truth: God knows everything about me. He has NO expectations and therefore NO disappointments! I am totally accepted in the Beloved!