Numbers 10:11 says, “Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony.” Verse 12 says that they set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys, “…then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.” Verse 34 says, “And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day…”

The Presence of the Lord is not manifested to us as a visible cloud like the children of Israel had. Jeremiah 23:24 says, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the Lord; do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” Every living thing on this earth lives in His Presence. Yet, not every person acknowledges that truth.

When God made man out of the dust of the earth, what does Genesis 2:7 say? That God, “…breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” His Presence is manifested through our breath. Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being…” Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Isaiah 43:7 says that we are all created for His glory. Psalm 104:29 was written about the animals. It says, “You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” Psalm 144:4 says, “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” James 4:14 is a good reminder for us. It says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

While we have breath, how shall we live? Job 27:3-4 says, “As long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.” Verse 6 says, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” What did God say about Job at the beginning of the book? Job 1:8 says, “…a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

As I was typing the first part of this a little song bubbled up. I paused in it because it ministered to my spirit. Just sing this slowly and thoughtfully, in whatever tune the Lord gives you. “Breath of God. Breath of God. Your Presence fills my inner being. Breath of God. Breath of God. I lift my heart to acknowledge Your Presence.” As you sing it, I encourage you to put your index finger lightly across your upper lip. Let the breath that you feel remind you afresh of Whose you are.

The children of Israel were in a wilderness. It was all uncharted territory. Yet, they knew that when they followed the cloud, the Lord would lead them. We have the Holy Spirit to lead us. John 14:17 says, “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.”

1 John 2:27 says, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” The Holy Spirit will always lead us into truth. What we do need is to learn to trust His leading over our own. Holy Spirit, help us to follow You. Help us to be sensitive to how You are working, so that we do not resist You in any way. Lead us into the truth that will set us free from ourselves and the things that bind us.

Last night I was reading Numbers 9. I saw something that I don’t remember seeing before. It caused a cascade of verses to come to mind. It also helped me to recognize several things. I have read this passage many times, yet I always saw it as the same as what I believed. Things are not always as they appear to be. There is a true reality behind an appearance.

First let me ask this question. Did you believe, like me, that there was a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day that led the children of Israel? Did you see it as two separate ways that God led them? Numbers 9:15 shattered that belief for me last night. Read it carefully and see what you see. It says, “Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle , the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire.” Did you catch the  ‘appearance’ of fire? It was not a pillar of fire, it was the appearance of fire.

Verse 16 says, “So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.” Let’s jump ahead to 1 Corinthians 10:1. It says, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea.” The Lord led them by a cloud. Yet at night, it took on the likeness as fire.

If you want an interesting read, go to Ezekiel 1. Many times Ezekiel used the words ‘appearance of’ to try and describe the vision he saw. It seems he used something similar to him as he groped for words. You might wonder why I am going this way. I just wanted to ‘awaken’ you. As we read our Bible, we need to read it as though we haven’t read it before. The Holy Spirit is ready to illuminate truth so that we can apply it to our present day. How do we make an application to the verses in Numbers 9? 

First I want to take us to Philippians 2:7-8. Paul wrote truth with words to capture his reader’s attention. It says of Jesus, “…taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man…” 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.” The true reality behind His appearance is that He is always God, no matter what form He takes to manifest Himself to His people.

What is the truth behind how you appear? In Colossians 2:20 Paul was challenging his readers to remember that they died with Christ and therefore were not subject to worldly regulations. Verse 23 says, “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom…” James 3:15 says that worldly wisdom, “…does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.”

1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Abstain from every form of evil.” The word ‘form’ in the Greek means: visible form, shape, appearance, and outward show. Is the message you speak, the same as your messenger? 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” How did Jesus walk? One way was in humility. I’ve noticed that if there is pride in my heart, my words will reflect that pride and not exemplify Jesus’ character of humility. Let us be genuine in our heart so that our words are genuine. An authentic follower of Jesus has the appearance that they have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

This is a drawing I did June 8, 2017. It was part of my warfare art. It was my way to journal when I could not see clearly because of the brain injury. I invite you to bathe in this cleansing fountain. His blood will wash away all your emotional pain from your past rejections.

I know from my own childhood experiences that a scowl meant the person was displeased. It felt like rejection to me. It would make me want to withdraw inside. I know now as an adult, that in truth, the scowl was not because of me. The scowl was because of what the scowling person was encountering at the time. Conversely, a child will perceive a smile as something good. It makes them want to draw close to the smiling person.

I had a wonderful kindergarten teacher. She was so accepting, and acknowledged what I drew or colored as something good. I remember in seventh grade that I had a scowling math teacher. He berated me from the front of the class, and called me a bump on a log because I didn’t understand something.

Children do not have the capacity to understand when something is directed at them or the person’s negative reactions to their circumstances at the time. Children are literal. They think in concrete terms. It is either black or white. It is good or bad. They haven’t learned about grey areas yet. A child who does not FEEL loved, will perceive it as rejection. An unwanted child, perceived or real, will act out their emotional pain through rebellion.

1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” As an adult we need to discern between our perceptions and reality. We need to communicate what we are thinking rather than assume the other person understands. Only the Lord knows what anyone is thinking. Good communication bridges the gap so that there is heart harmony.

Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Jesus spoke in parables. The general crowd did not understand His underlying truths. Mark 4:9 says, “And He said to them, He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” When He was alone with His disciples, He explained the parable in terms that they understood.

We often misjudge a situation because we do not know all the facts. We jump to fleshly conclusions. That creates a seedbed for offenses. Hebrews 12:15 in the J. B. Phillips says, “Be careful that none of you fails to respond to the grace which God gives, for if he does there can very easily spring up in him a bitter spirit which is not only bad in itself but can also poison the lives of many others.”

Let me give you an illustration. Years ago I wanted to get rid of some scraggly plants in my flower bed. I wanted something beautiful and pleasing to my eyes and senses. I started to uproot them. It was CandyTuft. The roots were so invasive. They were intertwined in horrible tangles. That is what happens when we allow a bitter root to take over in our hearts.

Our thoughts become a tangled mess of bitterness and unforgiveness from the harbored offenses. In Acts 8:22-23 Peter addressed Simon’s heart condition. It says, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Did you catch his words? He was so entangled with sinful thoughts.

Unresolved offenses will take root and contaminate our thoughts which then become words. Caustic or death words crush our spirit. If you have been impacted by negative or demeaning words, you can be free through heart forgiveness. Choosing to forgive will usher in the Lord’s grace to flow over you like cleansing water. Your twisted emotions will begin to untangle, and your thought processes will be freed to please the Lord.

Hosea 14:1 says that we stumble because of our iniquity. Verse 2 says, “Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.” Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Our praise is a pleasing sacrifice to Him when we finally lay our heart pain on His altar. 

In Matthew 18:7 Jesus told His disciples that offenses would come. They are just a part of living. In Luke 17:1 Jesus said, “…It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!” Here is satan’s strategy. Rejection is the temptation to sin. The Greek word for offense is scandalon. Doesn’t that sound like our word scandalous? 

Rejection is the temptation to sin by harboring the offense. Offense is the trap stick. To take satan’s bait (rejection) will ensnare us through an offended heart. Since rejection is only the temptation to sin, we have a choice. We can take the bait, or forgive and escape the snare. Proverbs 1:17 says, “Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.”

We are usually broadsided by rejection. We might not see it coming so it is a shock. Our flesh immediately goes into a defensive mode. The Holy Spirit is present to offer grace so we can forgive and move forward. Here is the snare with offenses. When we are offended we have His immediate grace to forgive. However, if we pass on our offense to someone else, it is gossip and there is no grace without repentance.

Romans 14:21 is in the context of eating or not eating temple meat. The application is there. It says, “…It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.” Years ago I heard a message from a rancher describing a tumble weed. He said that when it is just a shoot, it is green and easily pulled out roots and all. When it grows and dries out, it tumbles around everywhere. It picks up debris wherever it goes. That is a great illustration of how our shared bitter offenses can affect others. They are divisive, and they spread gossipy-contamination.

The set trap is always hidden. It has bait that will appeal to our lower nature. Years ago I read a book by John Bevere. It is called, “The Bait Of Satan: living free from the deadly trap of offense.” Until I read that book I didn’t realize how deadly clever satan’s myriad offense-traps are. People often spread their offense because it makes them the victim. Yet carrying the offense keeps us trapped in pride. Proverbs 11:13 says, “A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”

When we are rejected we are hit with emotional pain. That whole rejection scene is between us and the Lord. We need to pour out our heart. Hannah is a great example for us. She was rejected by her rival. She was looked down on because she was barren. 1 Samuel 1:6 says, “And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.” In those times a barren woman was viewed as cursed by God.

Hannah was emotionally impacted. That carried over into her physical and spiritual life. Verse 8 says that she wept, didn’t eat, and her heart was grieved. Verse 10 says, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” Can’t you just feel her emotional pain? Verse 13 says, “Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard…” Eli the priest thought she was drunk. Verse 15 says, “…I am a woman of sorrowful spirit…have poured out my soul before the Lord.” Let us also pour out our heart to the Lord when we are rejected. We need to empty all that pain before Him, so that He can bring the healing that we need to progress on our journey of sanctification.

Reviving Burned Stones is the title to one of my ebooks, and chapter two in Victorious Garden: true heart forgiveness. Both are on Amazon. What does our pathway look like after we have been rejected? How do we process the pain? Our flesh wants to lash out, but our spirit man wants to lean hard on the Lord. Galatians 5:16 is a key verse to the aftermath of rejection. It says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Here was a strategic maneuver that we can adapt for ourselves. Rejection is not a one time event. We need to have a purpose set in our heart for the next time we suffer rejection. Nehemiah 4:6 was after they cried out to the Lord to avenge them. It says, “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up  to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” The children of Israel did not let the rejection stop them from the work the Lord had called them to do.

Verse 7 says that the enemy was furious because, “…the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed…” Let me take you to Isaiah 7. It reveals the enemy’s strategy. Verse 6 says, “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in the wall for ourselves…” It is essential to understand that when we are rejected, it is satan’s plan to bring division. He hates close knit relationships. He seeks to divide so he can conquer through his lies.

Let me illustrate from Israel’s time. The vineyards were hedged about with a protective wall. It might have been shrubbery, or a rock wall. They set a watch to make sure that nothing would create a little gap. Something bigger would come and make that gap bigger. Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch us the little foxes…” Why? They would race through the vineyard and knock off the blossoms so that there would be no fruit.

Gaps remain in our relationships through heart unforgiveness. Let us apply Paul’s admonition to the church at Rome. Romans 12:2 in the J. B. Phillips says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and move towards the goal of true maturity.”

What is the world’s way? Revenge! The enemy unleashed revenge in our country with the riots, the burnings, and the hatred. Our hearts get burned through rejection. That isn’t the end of the story. At that moment we have a choice. We can lash out in our flesh, or we can forgive and move forward. If we let the offense build in our heart, we will become like the vineyard in Proverbs 24:30-34. It was full of nettles and thorns because the wall was diligently attended to.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It is at that throne that we are bid to come in our time of need. It is there that we will find the mercy and grace to forgive from our heart. 

How did the Lord respond when He was reviled during His walk on this earth? Revile means to berate, rail against, or criticize in an angry way. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” We react in our flesh, but we respond in our heart to the Holy Spirit’s readiness to lead us through the situation into victory!

Rejection is a universal emotional pain. It seems to be a hurt that everyone experiences in their life. It comes in myriad ways, but the message is that we are not wanted. It makes us feel deficient in an area or multiple areas. We often take it personally, when in fact, it was a deficiency in the one who rejected us. The fiery dart lies begin to bombard us. They usually come in the first person.

The lies might make us turn against ourselves. The questioning lies are all negative. They distort the truth of who we are, and who God created us to be. Any lie that satan throws our way is against our design. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” The Lord designed us exactly as He saw fit. His entire purpose for our life was included. Psalm 119:73 says “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.”

It is essential to consider that Jesus was rejected. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man  of sorrows and acquainted with grief…”  He knows what we are experiencing when we are rejected. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus suffered ultimate rejection by His Father, in order for us to be accepted in the Beloved.

As we read through our Bible, we see account after account of rejection. Adam and Eve rejected God’s command. Cain rejected God’s way to make a sacrifice and murdered his brother. Israel rejected God in wanting a king. 1 Corinthians 10 gave a brief history of Israel. Verse 6 says, “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”

Rejection leaves an emotional hole. We tend to fill it with other things that choke out God’s word from working deep into our heart. It is His word that will bring the instruction we need. We cannot effectively navigate through emotionally painful times through leaning on our flesh. John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to  you are spirit, and they are life.”

It is pointless to keep bringing up the lies. It is impossible to name them all. However, truth is a far more excellent way to the path of healing from rejection. 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.”

Don’t allow the lies to remain that you have believed about yourself because of being rejected. Demonic lies are the underpinning of rejection. They are all lies designed to control our lives. There is only One that we want to be under the control of. That is where fruit is borne that will glorify the Lord. Galatians 5:22-23 is a list of the fruit of the Spirit. It will be evident in our lives as we walk in the Spirit. 

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are like a cluster of grapes. A cluster has individual grapes, but they are a whole. So we are in the body of Christ. Individuals that make a whole expression of Him on this earth. The enemy taunted the Jews as they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 4:2 says, “Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish–stones that are burned?” If you have ever been burned in a relationship, there is hope! You are called to endure. Lay hold of the Lord in a new way. Lean hard on His grace. He will be the Healer you need for your broken heart.

The question comes. Do I believe about myself the same way God sees me? How often does ‘I can’t’ come out of my mouth? Paul didn’t use those words, but he might have thought them when he faced his thorn. Otherwise, why did he plead with God to remove it? The Lord did not take away his thorn. What ‘thorn’ is in your side?

Here is a short poem to help us view another aspect of our thorn-trial. It was written by a woman who lived with intense pain and immobility.  Mendicant is a beggar. The Thorn was written by Martha Snell Nicholson. I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne. And begged him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own. I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart. I cried, “But Lord this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart. This is a strange, a hurtful gift, which Thou hast given me.” He said, “My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee.” I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore. As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more. I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace. He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face. 

We lose eternal perspective when we focus on our stressors. Here is what I have learned about negative dialogues. Not only are they toxic, but they keep us in the sympathetic part of our brain. That is the fight or flight. They increase cortisol which increases inflammation. The lies that we have believed are stressors. They counter God’s way. Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect…” Verse 32 says, “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.”

We can quickly take ourselves out of the sympathetic into the parasympathetic by changing our thoughts. Yes, every aspect of our lives is affected by our thoughts. Shift your thought-gears. Focus on the Lord and His faithfulness. Speak that truth in your heart. Then take a deep breath from your diaphragm. It will immediately take you out of your fight or flight to bring your body into peace and rest.

The lies we believe about ourselves cause stress in our bodies. They oppose God and His ways for us. They cause us to bury our emotions as a means of control. It is self-preservation. In truth, we have control over nothing in our lives except our thoughts. No one but you can change the path your thoughts are going. Negative dialogue is NOT a road map that we should follow.

Lies make us weak. When the Lord spoke to Paul about his thorn, Paul recognized something. His weakness was his greatest strength. He had to acknowledge that truth in order to go forward. What lies about yourself are holding you back? What lies keep you in fight or flight, pumping cortisol into your system continually? Paul’s understanding was enhanced through the truth the Lord spoke to his heart.

To follow our high standard flesh-expectations, or other’s expectations of us causes stress. They keep us uptight which stops fluidity. It blocks us from being who God has called us to be. Let us view our stressors as an awakening tool. Before each of us is a blank canvas. Let’s draw a collage of verses that address our lies with truth. It will help to bring us back into an eternal perspective. Everything on this earth is temporary. God uses our thorns to reveal Himself to us in a new way.

Have you ever had negative thoughts bombarding your mind? For years they plagued me. In 1993 I learned that not all my thoughts were of my own origin. That was liberating truth. From then on, when I had a negative thought, I would not give it another thought. Before, I would dialogue with it. Afterward, I would ignore it and switch to praise.

Yesterday I was creating a new recipe when the Holy Spirit intercepted my thoughts. He put this thought into my mind: trash your negative thoughts. Since I like to envision and implement my practical steps to freedom, here is the picture that came. In my mind, I took a piece of paper and wrote down the negative thought. Then I triumphantly wadded up the paper and throw it into my trash can. It broadened my understanding 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says to take every thought captive.

In recent years I read some of Caroline Leaf’s books. She is a Christian neuroscientist. She said that negative thoughts are toxic to the brain. Toxic thinking changes our brain’s wiring in a negative direction, and throws our mind and body into stress. So a negative dialogue would create additional stress, as if we don’t have enough in our every day lives. Negative thoughts are like acid that drip onto our neuro pathways and corrode them.

Our brain is so marvelous. We are created by the Lord to function optimally our entire lives. We are created for His glory, and to glorify Him. We do that when we fulfill all that He has for us to do. We will live out His fashioned days for us. The question becomes if we will live them with quality of life. I love Proverbs 3:2. I use it as a prayer every morning. The Amplified says, “For length of days and years of a life (worth living) and tranquility (inward and outward and continuing through old age till death), these shall they add to you.”

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” All words come from thoughts. Negative thoughts can destroy our health, and most certainly they will reduce our capacity to function. Verse 20 in the Amplified says, “A man’s (moral) self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied (whether good or evil).”

Have you thought about the consequences, or the fruit of your thoughts? I encourage you to get my ebook: Power Of Thoughts, or read chapter one in Victorious Garden (both available on Amazon). James 3:8 says, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Psalm 140:3 says, “They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips.” These two verses are startling. They exude with flesh.

The key to a healthy life, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, is through our thoughts. Psalm 19:14 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.” Psalm 104:33-34 says, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”

Incongruity is not a word in my everyday vocabulary. Here is a definition: an incongruity is very different from everything around it, to the point of being inappropriate to the situation. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” We may say that we have a personal relationship with the Lord, but we don’t exemplify Him through our lives.

By what we say, we document what we truly believe in our heart. Romans 10:9-10 was written about our salvation. It carries over into our everyday life. What we confess with our mouth comes from our heart. Listen to Paul’s words, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Our progressive sanctification is a process to help us align our beliefs, words, and actions. We are a messenger, or an ambassador of Christ. That means that our witness should portray our message and messenger as the same. We might say that we trust the Lord, but then we draw back into worry, fear, anxiety, anger, doubt, or unbelief. Our words bely where our trust really is. In action, it is in ourselves because we have taken our eyes off the Lord. We have forgotten that what He has spoken to us is eternal unchangeable truth. Let me use the example of His disciples.

Mark 6:45-52 was an account of His disciples in a boat. They were in the middle of the sea, and the wind came up against them. They saw Jesus walking on the water and they were troubled. Verse 30 says, “…Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Then He got into the boat and the wind ceased. Verse 32 says that they did not understand about God’s provision through the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Why? It says that their heart was hardened.

Hardness of heart comes from the deceitfulness of sin. Our actions or inactions reveal what we truly believe. The disciples were worried. Yet when the Lord reminded them that He was with them, what caused them to worry ceased. Does what you say agree with your actions? Here is another account. Jesus asked His disciples who men were saying that He was. Verse 15 says, “…But who do you say that I am?”

Watch this scene unfold. In verse 16 it says, “Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In verse 21 Jesus told them that He was going to suffer many things, be killed, and then raised on the third day. In verse 22 Peter rebuked Jesus. Verse 23 says, “But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

How do we rebuke the Lord? We rebuke Him through our disobedience. It is not in our words but in our actions. Peter one moment said that He believed, and the next He was opposing Jesus. What is the gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says, “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” When we believe the gospel for ourselves, we enter into eternal life. That is the beginning. Then we live out the gospel when our beliefs and actions affect the lives around us.