I wanted to give this post a different title. Conforming to transform is more what I am going to write about. However, that title might have gotten me thrown off. Our progressive sanctification path is one of conforming our thoughts, purpose, and actions to God’s will. It is that conforming process that facilitates inner transformation.

Romans 12:2 says that we are not to allow the world to conform us to their system. 1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” James 4:4 says, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

In Jesus’ prayer He made His request to the Father for us. John 17:15 says, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” What does the evil one speak? John 8:44 described his modus operandi. It says, “…and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” On the other hand, God cannot lie. 

John commended the young men in 1 John 2:14. It says, “…I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” It is God’s word IN us that will be the instrument He uses for our inner transformation. Romans 12:2 gives us the counter action to the world’s lures. It says, “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

God’s will is to conform us to His image, that we might bear His truth to others. Renewing our mind is an essential part of that conforming. Our mind is not transformed the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. We come into salvation with our former mindsets. Ephesians 2:2 says that we walked according to the course of the world. Verse 3 says that we were controlled by the evil one, “…we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”

Understanding and applying 2 Corinthians 5:17 requires a new mindset. It says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” When our thoughts return to a negative dialogue based in our past, it is an indicator that the lies we believed are still active. We have to kill them through renewing our mind.

Jeremiah 1:10 is our script. It says, “…to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the lies that you still believe that continue to affect every aspect of your life. He is Faithful. He is our Guide into truths that will set us free. I want you to picture this. In the middle of your uncultivated field there is a tree. You cut down the tree. Did that allow your plow to till the ground? No. Why? The stump and roots have to be removed first.

Picture the lie you have believed as the stump and roots. In my former backyard there were old oak trees. Even removing a rooted acorn took diligence. The tap root went way down. Lies have tap roots. There is no inner transformation without getting to the tap root-lie. If how you see yourself does not align with what the Lord says about you, then you are still bound in a lie. Your past is passed. Don’t let it hinder you from being all that He has called you to be.

This is my warfare art that I wrote about in my last post. You Are Lord Of All is squared in green in the lower right hand corner.

In view of the giants in the land, the 10 leaders of the children of Israel saw themselves as grasshoppers. Here is something of interest. Isaiah 40:22-23 says, “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.”

What giants are you facing in your life? How do you see yourself in view of your giants of impossibilities? Nothing in our lives is a match for God. He is far above all things. In 2017 I had drawn my journaling for the day. At the time I was staying in my cousin’s trailer until the mold in my place could be remedied. I walked out to the dumpster and then came back. Somehow the door to the trailer was locked. No problem. He showed me where the key was hidden. It wasn’t there.

I faced a giant. I was locked out. It was cold. I was weak from the mold contamination. The office was closed for lunch. I slowly walked through the RV grounds looking for a person. The whole time I was quoting my journal, “You are Lord Of All. I saw someone and they came over to see if there was any way to get in. He let me use his cellphone to call my cousin. He came and let me in and brought the key that was supposed to be hidden.

I used Scripture that the Holy Spirit had given me that morning to decrease the size of my giant. David faced a formidable giant. How did he see himself? In 1 Samuel 17:37 he said, “…The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine…” Verse 45 David said to the giant, “…I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

The enemies’ taunts only fueled David’s desire to take out the one who was spouting lies. David fought with a tried and true weapon in his hand. We have the word of God that is like a sharp two-edged sword. Here is a scene I like to think about. The man who gathered the folks who went on the Mayflower faced a giant who was bent on killing him.

One day Brewster was walking into his cottage. An excellent swordsman was hiding inside. As Brewster came in the door, this man jumped out with his sword to kill Brewster. Brewster whipped out his sword and the battle began. Brewster eventually knocked the other’s sword out of his hand and stabbed him in the stomach and slid the sword up. The man only had time for a surprised look on his face and then he died and fell over. 

Do you see yourself as a victorious faith-filled warrior? We have an amazing weapon that can whack every giant in our life to death. Their lie-words will die in their mouth, like Brewster’s opponent died speechless. We need to strategically use God’s word as our mouth-sword. His words hidden in our heart can be whipped out through one thought. One! One thought of God’s truth, spoken from our mouth, will instantly fell the enemy’s lies! It will look like Psalm 18:42. Picture this in your mind as you read. It says, “Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.”

Our enemy is defeated. He knows that his time is short, so he is using other mouth-propaganda’s to disquiet God’s children. We must stand and keep on standing. Do not give in, but rise up and take the charge. We are to be His truth-bearers that defeat every lie before it can land. Let us lie in ambush through prayer. The enemy of our soul cannot combat God’s hidden word, nor God’s army on its knees. Let us be courageous and fight! 

Yesterday we looked at how we might eclipse the Son. Today I want to showcase the things that would eclipse our faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Therefore, satan’s strategy is to weaken and destroy our faith.

How does the Lord keep our faith strong? Through our trials. 1 Peter 1:7 says that it is our fiery (hard) trials that purify our faith. Years ago I worked in our church’s print shop. I operated the linotype. It is like a giant typewriter, but instead of paper it printed the letters on lead slugs. The slugs would get ink on them in the printing process. We had to purify it by putting it in a smelting pot. The dross would come to the top so it could be skimmed off. 

So it is in our trials. Our faith goes through God’s fire. The alloy-dross surfaces. Allow-dross are things like doubt, fear, unbelief, presumptions, misperceptions, etc. They have a common denominator. They were once a fiery dart-lie that we accepted and believed. They are all lies! I want to bring you to two accounts that illustrate this truth.

1 Kings 22:19-22 was a scene in heaven. The Lord was going to have Ahab die in battle. Verse 19 says that He gathered all the host of heaven. Verse 20 says, “And the Lord said, Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?…” Verse 21 a spirit came forward declaring that he would persuade him. In verse 22 the Lord asked him how he would do it. He answered, “…I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets…”

Revelation 16:13 was written about the sixth bowl. It says, “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.” Notice it is from the mouth of each. Verse 14 says, “For they are spirits of demons…” 2 Thessalonians 2:11 says of those who did not love the truth, “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.”

We need to guard our heart where our faith resides. Romans 10:10 says that it is with our heart that we believe. Since our heart is our belief center, it is our belief in God that satan will throw his lies at. He hates God, and he hates us because we are made in God’s image. We are created to glorify God. If satan can get us to believe a lie, he will use it to control our lives.

Numbers 13 is a very vivid illustration for me. Moses had sent out 12 leaders to spy out the promised land. 10 came back with a bad report. Capture their words. Verse 27-28 says, “…It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless…” That word ‘nevertheless’ was the precursor to their bad report. They saw the land. It was as God had said. They brought back one cluster of grapes carried by two men on a pole.

Verse 32 says that they saw giants in the land. Verse 33 is the ‘nevertheless’ of the lie they believed. It says of the giants, “…we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” The lie they believed caused them to forfeit what God had promised. I don’t want anything to cause me to forfeit what God has called me to do!

Beware of lying spirits that are prevalent in our land. Sequester yourself in God’s word. It is the truth! As we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit’s leading, He will use God’s word to purify our faith. Here is one verse. Psalm 15:2 says, “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. There are three areas that you can line your faith up against. Do you believe them with your whole heart? Then don’t let any lie of the enemy eclipse your faith.

Spiritual Eclipse

Here is the dictionary definition of an eclipse. An obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer, or between it and its source of illumination. Ephesians 1:18 was Paul’s prayer. It says, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Verse 7 was speaking of John the Baptist. It says, “This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.” Like John, we are also called to be witnesses of Jesus, the Light.

Our fleshly reactions eclipse the Son. Romans 8:5 says that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on fleshly things. Verse 7-8 says, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God…So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Then Paul reminded his readers that, in truth, they are of the Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells in the heart of every born again believer.

Our progressive sanctification is a journey of decreasing our fleshly ways, and conforming to His will and ways, Therefore, the Holy Spirit within will resist us when we veer off track. We cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit through our flesh. Let me list them from Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

It is essential to connect the fruit of the Spirit to the inward graces that Peter wrote about. 2 Peter 15-7 is a list of what we are to add to our faith. Virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Did you notice the overlap? It takes faith to yield to the Holy Spirit. When we allow Him to lead us, our hidden unresolved issues surface to thwart us. They were hidden in a fleshly moment.

Ephesians 5:8-10 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” We know from Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please the Lord without faith. It takes faith to walk in His Light.

John 3:20 says that those who practice evil (fleshly ways) hate the light. Did you know that cockroaches hate the light? If you walk into a dark room and turn on the light they will scatter. That is a great picture for us to remember as we read verse 21. It says, “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” This verse gives weight to 1 Thessalonians 5:22. It says, “Abstain from every form of evil.”

Romans 6 is a very instructive chapter on how to live as children of light. Verse 1 asks the question: shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Pauls uses an emphatic statement in verse 2. It says, “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Verse 4 is a reminder for us of our death to sin. It 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.”

Romans 13:12 says to throw off the works of darkness and to put on the armor of light. Verse 14 is key to how not to eclipse the Lord. It says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make NO provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Consider this. Anything that you do in the dark, that you don’t want anyone to know about, is fulfilling the lust of your flesh. Anything that we do in our flesh eclipses the Son, and darkens our witness of His Light.

Cravings

Cravings are rooted in something from our past. If we never had it in the first place, we would not miss it when it was taken away. We see an example of this in Numbers 11. Note how verse 4 starts with, “Now the mixed multitude…” 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.” The children of Israel brought some of the Egyptians with them. When the complaining began, it spread its contamination to everyone around the disgruntled ones.

Verse 4 goes on to say, “…yielded  to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: Who will give us any meat to eat?” Watch how they looked back. Verse 5 says, “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” That list reveals that they were dialoguing about what they didn’t have. It made them discontent with God’s miraculous provision. They totally forgot that they were enslaved, and that they were treated harshly. Verse 6 says, “But our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

The Lord was angry. Moses took up the offense of the people and lashed out at the Lord. The Lord answered the cravings of the people. Yet there was a severe price to pay. The Lord sent quail. Verse 33 says, “But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.” Verse 34 says, “…they buried the people who had yielded to craving.”

Here is a very serious verse that makes me tremble. Psalm 106:15 says, “And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” The contrast is in Jeremiah 31:14. It says, “I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.” There is nothing on this earth that is worth living in spiritual leanness for.

Cravings are a distraction in our progressive sanctification. The Lord has us on a journey to learn how to lean on Him and not our own understanding. He is teaching us how to conform our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will through our trials. We are also learning how persistent our fleshly lust can be. When we deprive our flesh, it rears up from its hiding place to scream out its displeasure.

The danger with cravings is they make us dissatisfied with what we have. The children of Israel had God’s wonderful provision of manna. It was His miraculous sustenance for them. It had all the nutrients needed to keep them healthy, because He provided it for 40 years! 

There are times in our lives when we believe that the Lord’s manna-provision for us is not enough. This can be especially true in hard trials. We are tempted to complain, which is sin because it displeases the Lord. There are times that we might lose sight of His goal for us. Romans 8:28 says that He is working everything in our lives for our good. The trial we are in will yield a benefit that we lacked if we endure.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance…” The Greek word for endurance is humpomone. I love this word. Here is the note in my Bible from the Strong’s definition that I frequently visit. It says, “Constancy, perseverance, continuance, bearing up, steadfastness, holding out, patient endurance.

It describes the capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency, but with a hopeful fortitude that actively resists weariness and defeat.” As you can imagine, when we look back, we lose sight of our goal. We are viciously thrown off track. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord, and be continually grateful for His provision for us through His death, burial, and resurrection.

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.