Have you ever taken fresh baked bread out of the oven? Then you know that you have to let it cool before you can cut into it. The Holy Spirit gave me fresh bread the other day. I’ve been waiting for it to cool (percolate in my spirit) before I could cut into it and share it with you. 

This is piecemeal as He continues to disclose this insight about covetousness. Let’s go back to the garden. Genesis 3:6 says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate it…”

Note that Eve saw, took, and ate. She coveted it and took it. After she and Adam ate the forbidden fruit, what did they do? They hid. This pattern of covetousness plunged all of mankind onto satan’s hook.

Jesus said in John 14:30, “…the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” Why do we hide what we take through covetousness? Achan did. Think of robberies, drug dens, affairs, sex and human trafficking, and our last election.

Joshua 9 is the story of how the Gibeon men deceived the leaders of the children of Israel. What did they covet? Verse 24 was their answer when Joshua asked them why they did what they did. It says, “…we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.” They coveted safety for their lives, even though they would be placed in servitude. 

Here is something else to consider. First to note is in verse 14. It is a present warning to us. It says that they were deceived because, “…they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” We error in everything that we do independent of God.

Second to note were Joshua’s chilling pronouncements over those who planned their deception. Verse 23 says, “Now therefore, you are cursed and none of you shall be freed from being slaves…” They became slaves to the curse. Do you have something that has you enslaved?

Have you ever felt like you were cursed? Verse 20 says of the leader’s decision, “…we will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.” Later in history Saul killed them. What was the result? You can read about it in 2 Samuel 21:1-9.

Proverbs 26:2 says, “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight.” If you have suffered calamity after calamity, or one disaster after another, you might ask the Holy Spirit if you have broken any vows that you made before the Lord.

Joshua 8 is such a unique chapter. It recorded God’s great military strategy that overthrew the children of Israel’s enemy. It also clearly states, how that in every situation we face, God’s present strategy is in place. We cannot rely on the way that He delivered us in the past.

Prayer is not a prescribed formula. It requires a heart that is ready to listen to what the Spirit is saying. The letters to the churches in Revelation give us great instruction for our present day. Revelation 2:7 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches….” In each one He said what He would give as something special to those who would overcome. 

Remember Jesus’ words in John 16:33, “…be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Romans 8:37 says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” 

We are called with a holy calling. We are more than adequately equipped to fight off the enemy of our soul with God’s armor and His ways. One of His ways is through setting up prayer ambushes. 

In Joshua 8:3 it says, “…Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.” These men had to be ready to act the moment they were given the signal. That required they were to be alert and NOT occupied with anything else on their minds. Attentive. Watching. Alert. Ready. Valor means great courage in the face of danger.

Verse 18 says that Joshua stretched out his spear at the command of the Lord. Verse 19 says, “So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire.” Note the words: arose quickly, ran, and hurried. There was not a moment’s hesitation on their part. They were ready and able to obey in the moment.

Have you ever been occupied with doing something, and you get a thought in your mind to pray for someone? Our immediate action to pray is like an ambush. We don’t know what is happening, but we are ready as attentive warriors to battle on behalf of the one the Lord has brought to mind.

When the Lord intercepts our thoughts with an assignment to pray, it is a call to immediate action. If we are talking to someone, we need to say, ‘Let’s stop and pray right now. The Lord just brought ___ to mind.’ It only takes a moment to respond. Often my hands are full of something and I just hold still and pray.

Think of what it would be if all of the body of Christ was praying for the same thing. What an ambush that would be! The enemy would have no clue where the opposition to his work was coming from. He has no visible target because prayer is a spiritual weapon.

Psalm 149:5-6 is about us ~ God’s children with His mighty weaponry. Verse 7-9 says, “To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment—this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!” Let us take up arms and join together in ambush through prayer for our nation and other nations who are under attack.

Achan brought sin into the whole camp of Israel. Here are his words. Joshua 7:21 says, “When I saw…I coveted them and took them. And there they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent…” 

Why did he hide them? He knew that he had violated God’s command, so he could not keep them in the open. Achan’s sin affected everyone around him. They brought him, his family, and his livestock to the Valley of Achor. Achor means trouble. They were stoned. Then the corpses, and the things he had hidden, were burned with fire.

Here is the folly. I’ve asked myself these questions so I am sharing them with you. Hidden sin is sneaky. Have you coveted something and then hid it? What about not forgiving as you were forgiven? Instead you coveted revenge and buried it in your heart. Have you coveted your own will, and when it was crossed you buried anger? Buried anger is just a fleshly tantrum waiting in the shadows to express itself.

What emotional trouble have you buried because you coveted the benefit of hoping it would go away? Here are some telltale signs: walking on eggshells covets peace at all costs, seeking to control because you covet your way, or being a workaholic because you covet financial security. Coveting anything keeps us in spiritual bondage.

Mark 4:22 says, “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.” This is wonderful news! The Holy Spirit is able to lead us into the light of truth that will set us free.

Hosea the prophet was instructed to take a harlot as his wife. The Lord wanted to help Israel understand how that departing from Him was harlotry. The book of Hosea revealed God’s love for His people. 

I encourage you to read it as though He was speaking to your heart. There is always hope. There is no sin that Jesus did not bear on His body. There is nothing that we have done that He has not redeemed. When we confess our sin? 1 John 1:9 says that He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from our unrighteousness.

Hosea 2:14-15 recorded beautiful pictures of His redeeming love. It says, “Therefore, behold I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. 

I will give her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.”

Your Valley of Achor was the springboard to expose your hidden sins. Your confession will bring you right to that door of hope that is opened for you to step through. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

We know that in the body of Christ that we are all members. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Just as our natural body has many members, each member is part of the whole.

As I read Joshua 7, I noted again that though Achan sinned alone, God’s anger affected all the children of Israel. Verse 1 says, “But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan…took of the accursed things.”

In Joshua 6:18, God laid out His specific instructions. It says, “And you, by all means, abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.”

Have you ever considered that your disobedience to God’s word affects all of the body of Christ? That is a heart shaking truth. Verse 13 says, “…you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

Church, we are here. We are living this out in our country. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that we are to humble ourselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Until we do that He will not heal our land. 

1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

1 Corinthians 12:25 says, “That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.” One of the ways we can do that is Galatians 6:1. It says, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

Accountability is the undergirding for walking in heart integrity. What do you do when no one is watching? That is the fruit borne from your character or lack of it. Achan’s lack of character brought destruction. Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”

Paul urged his readers to be proactive. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in faith. Test yourselves…” The Lord allowed satan to test Peter. He was sifted as wheat is sifted. The chaff of denial was brought out of hiding.

The Holy Spirit is our Excellent Diagnostic Technician. We can go before Him and ask Him to search our heart. He will reveal the hidden (accursed) things that are alloy, which constantly weaken our faith. Hidden sin will keep us from being able to stand against the enemy of our soul, individually and collectively as the body of Christ.

What Does Your Soul Long For?

I am in the process of memorizing verses in Psalm 119. Verse 20 says, “My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times.” There is something about memorizing that drives truth deeper into our heart.

As I am repeatedly speaking this verse out loud, it brings conviction every time. I cannot truthfully say, ‘at all times’ and that is what challenges me. How do I live out this verse in my life?

At the same time frame in which I am memorizing this verse, I came to a part in my homework book that meshed with this verse. I’m paraphrasing so I don’t violate copyrights. 

What fruit do others see as evidence of your heart’s devotion to the Lord? Outward fruit is the manifestation of the inward thoughts. The source of our roots determine what type of fruit we bear.

In my homework book it used the words: captivate, captured, and captivated. Does that describe my heart in my relationship with the Lord? Is Song of Solomon 5:1 Amplified a reality for me?

I read it as though the Lord is speaking of me. It says, “..Drink, yes, drink abundantly of love, O precious one (for now I know you are Mine, irrevocably Mine! With His confident words still thrilling her heart…”

I am typing out my thoughts as I am thinking this through. In the first 22 verses of Psalm 119, here are the ways that identify God’s word: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, word, and judgments. 

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.”

As I mull this over, here is my conclusion. At all times our heart should break with longing for the Lord. He is His word no matter what word is used. He is the One who has captured our heart through His death on the cross. Our heart becomes His dwelling place when we accept Him as our Savior and Lord.

We don’t obey a set of rules like a robot. In our love relationship with Him, our heart longs to do as He has written, because He is the Giver. His word is our greatest gift to lead us into righteousness. That is our path of progressive sanctification. It is the process through which our thoughts, purpose, and actions are continually being conformed to His will and His ways.

Parenthesis are mine, and depict the new way my heart can now read this Psalm of 176 verses! Psalm 119:16 says, “I will delight myself in (You) Your statutes; I will not forget (You) Your word.” Verse 92 is a truth I lived in through this last brain injury. It says, “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.”

I can experientially put in ‘You’ for ‘Your law’ because I couldn’t read my Bible. After three weeks my soul was breaking with longing for His word. I had to wait for someone to read it to me. I also had a CD of verses that a friend recorded for me of ones that I requested. It was my relationship with the Lord that kept me from perishing in that affliction. 

Refute means to to beat back, to disapprove and overthrow by argument, evidence or countervailing proof, to prove to be false or erroneous. God’s word is irrefutable. Here are some irrefutable truths I want to bring to your mind.

Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”

2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

Luke 1:37 says, “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Isaiah 59:1 says, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.”

We frequently face hard trials, seemingly impossible circumstances, or strong winds of adversity. These challenge any fleshly square peg thoughts that are hidden. Our heart is our belief center. 

We might say, “I believe God is in control of all things,” yet if we give any thought to worry, we are not resting in the round peg of irrefutable truth. We must not look with our natural eyes at what is before us. We have to look at our heart’s belief in God. We look through the spiritual eyes of irrefutable truth. 

It is when our flesh rises out of hiding that we have to act before it can manifest in a square peg thought. It gives an enhanced understanding of what it means to renew our mind. Our rogue thought is against, if we don’t give it another thought, it falls to the ground.

God said of Samuel that He did not let one of his words fall to the ground. We let God’s word fall to the ground when we refute it with unbelief and not rest in it. To renew our mind is not a one time thing.

Ephesians 4:23 Amplified says, “Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude).” We can only do that as we memorize and meditate on His word.

Psalm 119:89 says, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s word will never return to Him void. He speaks and it is. It doesn’t fall to the ground. Remember Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light.”

What does John say about His light? John 1:9 says, “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” Can anyone refute that truth? No! Jesus is the Light of the world!

When we are having dark thoughts (square pegs) we can instantly transform that thought through irrefutable truth by renewing our mind. In the natural, a square peg can be reshaped with a tool. In the spiritual, our mind can be reshaped by God’s tool which is His word.

We are all members of the body of Christ. We each have our unique fit. Colossians 2:19 says that when we hold fast to our Head, “…from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”

1 Corinthians 12:14 says, “For in fact the body is not one member but many.” Verses 15-26 thoroughly describes how the body of Christ functions. Verse 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

The foot cannot function as the hand does. Nor do the eyes do what the ears do. We have to function together in order to make up the whole. This is a tight fit that the Lord has designed.

He uses all of us in our unique role to make up the whole. We serve one another through our unique role. You are a gift to His body. Your uniqueness is essential in His design. 

We are to love Him wholeheartedly: with all our heart, all our soul, and with all our strength. Our square peg mentality does not fit into His round peg ways. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Our path of progressive sanctification is always filled with circumstances, hardships, trials, and adversity to help shape our hearts to conform to His will and His ways. We chafe when we try to be someone that we are not.

The word ‘sincere’ was a cry of the bazaar vendors. They wanted everyone to know that their pots had no wax to cover blemishes or cracks. The astute buyer would take the pot they were interested in out into the sun. That way the darkness of the shop would not prevent them from seeing any wax cover up.

1 Peter 1:22 says, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Psalm 18:26 says, “With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.” Shrewd in the Hebrew means to wrestle. What happened to Jacob when he wrested with the Lord?

Genesis 32:28 says, “And He said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob (deceiver), but Israel (Prince with God); for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Parentheses are mine. Remember the definition in Joshua 1:7 for courageous? It means to prevail.

Are you in a wrestling match with the Lord now? The Lord will always set up circumstances that will reveal the hidden deceit in our heart. What is the Lord seeking to accomplish in your life by bringing the same challenges right before your face again and again?

His goal in our path of progressive sanctification is to transform our inner being to reflect His character before others. When you feel frustrated, it might be because He is redirecting your square pegged way into His round peg way to enhance your uniqueness in serving Him.

Have you ever tried to be something that you aren’t? When I first moved in with my parents to take care of them 24/7, my dad had me working on the drip system. I was a square peg trying to fit in a round hole.

It frustrated my dad when I didn’t hold the channel locks and pliers the way he would. They were totally awkward for me. The Lord doesn’t get frustrated with us. He already knows what we are like. He designed us.

You are unique. There is no one you. No one can fill your shoes, nor can you fill someone else’s shoes. I wonder what Joshua felt like when the Lord called him to lead the children of Israel. He was Moses’ assistant. He knew the frustrations.

Yet the Lord set out His path through the beginning words in Joshua 1. As I read verse 7 yesterday, the Holy Spirit stopped me. There was a progression He wanted me to see. The condition was to be strong and courageous so that he could observe to do all that was written down for him.

Strong in the Hebrews means: prevail, firm, resolute, and to press. Courageous in the Hebrew means: to keep, guard, give heed, protect, watchmen, treasure up in memory. Verse 8 said that he was to observe to do so that he could meditate.

Our thoughts determine our actions. Negative thoughts (square pegs) do not fit into God’s thoughts (round holes). We cannot force them through our will or our own strength. Yes, our heart is the receptacle for our will.

Multiple times in the Psalms the words ‘I will’ occurs. Psalm 119:16 says, “I will delight myself in Your statutes, I will not forget Your word.” That is the power of meditating on God’s word. It seats His truth in our heart designed to effectively influence our will.

As you read these words in this new song, I encourage you to celebrate your uniqueness. When we force ourselves to fit into something that the Lord has not designed us to be or do we will be frustrated.

Celebrate Your Uniqueness 

My hands have made you and fashioned you in My image. There is no one else like you. Don’t try to copy others. Influence them through who you are. Be you in the design of My making.  

Creativity is freedom from sameness. It all begins in your thoughts. Be free to explore and develop the passions I’ve given you. Thoughts can box you in or free your spirit. Accepting who you are will cause you to thrive in every aspect of your life.

All things work together for good to those who are called according to My purpose. Nothing is in vain. I will redeem it all. The things you have been through have given you eyes to see and ears to hear and compassion to minister to others. I want you to celebrate you as I celebrate you. You are created for My glory.

Matthew 18:16 is in the context of church discipline. I’m using this verse as confirmation to something in my present. It says,”…that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” There are no coincidences or happenstances in God’s economy. Everything is divinely orchestrated through His impeccable timing.

Sunday my pastor brought up Deuteronomy 6:5. It says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Three times Moses said ‘all’ which means no exception. On Monday I had 2 Chronicles 16:9 as my homework assignment. The translation given was different from what I had memorized as a child.

It says, “…whose heart is completely His.” My mind immediately went back to the verse in Deuteronomy 6. I looked up the Hebrew words. Heart~inner man, mind, will, understanding. Soul~desire, emotion, passion. Strength~might, force. David had a prayer in Psalm 86:11 that we can make our own. He asked the Lord to unite his heart to fear His name. He was asking the Lord to give him singleness of heart. 

Here is an example of a cry of the whole heart. Psalm 63:1 says, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:8 Amplified says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

Psalm 42:1-2 are the words depicting the cry from a deer that knows that if it can’t get to water it will die. We need to ask ourselves if this is the cry of our heart. It says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

Do you remember what God told Samuel when He sent him to anoint David as the next king? 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The only way that we can truly know our heart is to look at it through God’s eyes. He sees everything.

Sunday I was reminded of this, as I was on Monday. Tuesday I started reading in my homework assignment book. There it was again! The third day in the row Deuteronomy 6:5 was set before me. I sat back and said, “Lord, what are You speaking to me that I didn’t get the first time?” Have you ever had the same type of trial more than once? The Lord will repeat our lessons until He has accomplished His purpose in our lives.

Until we are both hearers and doers of God’s word, we will remain weak in our faith. Moses had died and Joshua was the new leader. Joshua 1:7 says, “Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

The Lord knows our thoughts before we think them. He knows what is in our heart. He knows what squatter lies occupy places where truth should be. He knows every nook and cranny. Here is a verse from a new song Womb Of The Morning. Don’t let the cares of this life choke out My words. Open your heart to hear the beat of My own heart. I desire oneness with you but I won’t compete with that to which you give yourself. I will but wait until you tire of your own pursuits. And nestle down in My love.

A parent says to a naughty child, “Shame on you!” Those words are a pronouncement that covers that child with shame. Those words may be carried in their heart the rest of their life. It unconsciously follows them like the dirt following Pig Pen (in Charles Schulz’ cartoons of Charlie Brown), unless the Holy Spirit leads them to freedom. 

I’m saying this from personal experience. Yesterday the Holy Spirit set me free from something hidden! It all came about as I was considering what character qualities are revealed in the three verses. There is endurance, steadfastness (fixing eyes on Jesus), and despising shame.

I had owned the shame pronounced over me as a child. It was buried and forgotten by me, but not by the Holy Spirit. He used my moment of revelation to set me free. Jesus despised it. We are empowered to walk as He walked through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. I forgave, renounced, affirmed, and rejoiced at my new freedom!

What has happened to us, that caused us to bury the emotional pain, does not determine our responses to it. Our thoughts and motives do. We are not to despise the person. That is satan’s ploy. It leads to unforgiveness and hostility towards the one who shamed us. We are only to despise the shame brought on by their sin against us.

Shame is an entanglement that will thwart us in every direction. It brings embarrassment and dishonor. It holds down Jesus’ gift of joy and drains us of energy. Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him ~ us! Joy is His essential irrevocable gift to help us endure all the trials in our lives. 

When we despise shame, it helps us to NOT give up and become hopeless. It makes us stalwart and reinforced, like rebar reinforces a foundation. We fix our eyes on Jesus. To fix means that nothing can distract our gaze. 

It is when we gaze upon Him that, according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, He brings deep character transformation. It all takes place through our relationship with the Lord as we abide in His word. All healing from buried emotional pain comes through the Holy Spirit’s leading. He sets the needed foundation of truth first so that we will remain free. Who has shamed you? It is time to despise that shame and be set free!