I love John 15:16 which 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.” Here is part of a new song:

Love Sonnet 

Precious life. I chose you before the foundation of the world. You are Mine, irrevocably Mine. Don’t seek any other. You are Mine for eternity. I called you from the womb. Your name is always on My lips. You are My fragrance sweet. Like a flower bud opening. Enter in come enter into My love.

Ephesians 1:4 says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

God chose Noah. He saved Noah, his family, and some animals, but destroyed every living thing. Out of Noah’s three son’s He chose Shem. Out of Shem’s sons He chose Terah. Out of Terah’s three sons He chose Abram. Out of all mankind, He chose you. Not only that, but He has placed you in this time of history, in the country of His choice, and with the family He placed you in. Stop and think about it.

Acts 17:26 says, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.”

God called Abram out of where he was, to go to where he had never been before. He took him out of his comfort zone. Genesis 12:1 says, “…Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. Verse 2 says, “…and you shall be a blessing.” Abram obeyed and we are part of his fruit. You and I are part of Abram’s blessing. 

Romans 4:1 says, “When then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?” Verse 3 says that when Abram believed God, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Where do we get our righteousness? When we believe. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Let’s go back to John 15:16. God chose you to bear fruit for His glory. What does that look like? Verse 5 in the Amplified says, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing.”

What is the Lord asking you to leave behind that is hindering your fruit? What is usurping your quiet time of abiding in Him? Our strength comes from being not doing.

What is character? It is who we are and what we do behind closed doors. It is the manifestation of what we believe about ourselves and others. It is like an inward identity, the hidden part of our heart. Our thoughts are clothed with intentions that come from what we believe in our heart. Our thoughts become actions, which display an inner attitude.

I love Hebrews 4:12 which says that God’s word, “…is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Lord knows everything. He knows our thoughts before we think them. We certainly don’t know or understand our thoughts, when hidden pain or sin seeps into our thought process. That is beyond us.

Integrity is a great character quality. Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” Integrity is words and actions that are the same. There is no pretense or self-deception. Integrity is an expression of a pure heart. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Luke 4:4 Amplified says, “…Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God.”

God expresses His character through Who He is and what He does. 2 Peter 1:4 says, “By which have been give to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be PARTAKERS of the divine nature…” We come to know and experience God’s way for us as being a partaker of His nature through our trials.

He reveals His character to us in the crucible. When He entered the blazing fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, He displayed His invincible, indestructible, and unconquerable nature. Here is His promise to us. Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”

He also uses our trials to develop our character. Hidden dross contaminates it. Pressure, hardship, and impossible circumstances are some of God’s exacting means to bring it to the surface. Here is the progression. Romans 5:3-4 says, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character hope.” Without trials we would not grow in character. We would remain stunted and unfruitful.

I would encourage you to think about what you believe and do when you are facing with a new trial. Your behavior reveals your character. We are called with a holy calling. We are chosen to bear fruit that will glorify the Lord. We are equipped through His word to endure. We are transformed as we behold Him. We partake of His nature through our thoughts. It always goes back to our thoughts.

Thoughts Drive Behavior

Discernment is essential in making righteous decisions. Are you impulsive? That might be an area you want to correct through thoughts anchored in God’s truths that will set you free. We are able to make righteous decisions by discerning between good and evil. I want to take it a step further than where we ended yesterday. Hiding God’s word in our heart will help us discern between good and best.

Paul and his team are a great example. Acts 16:6-10 is a very interesting narrative. Verse 6 says that they were going to preach the word in Asia. Yet the Holy Spirit forbid them. Then they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit did not permit them. These were good decisions. As we read further we see that they were not God’s best. Verse 9 says that a vision came to Paul. He saw a man from Macadonia pleading with them to help them.

Verse 10 says, “Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonina, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.” I encourage you to read the rest of the chapter. God is our orchestrator. Sometimes He leads us through resistance. I love Revelation 3:7. I use it as prayer frequently. It says, “…He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.”

Yesterday I listened to a neuroscientist explaining neuroplasticity. Our brains are plastic, in the sense that they are flexible. Everything is reversible. Our genes are not our destiny. Science has discovered what God has written in His word. Our thoughts drive our behavior. Proverbs 23:7 says that we are as we think.

Romans 12:2 says, “…renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Psalm 18:32 says, “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever…” Mercy is not getting what we deserve.

There is hope! It is never too late to change. Your life may have started out rough with childhood traumas. You may have made unrighteous decisions that you are still reaping. You may have walked away from the Lord, and been on a diet of swine husks. There are many factors of defeat. Ephesians 2:1-3 was written to set the stage of our hopelessness. Verse 4 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.”

Let me remind you of a few truths that you can lean back on. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” This is one of my anchor verses that fortifies my faith. No matter what, He is faithful. The children of Israel’s bones dried up. Listen to their words. Ezekiel 37:11 says, “…Our bones are dry, our hope is lost…” Hopelessness, because of your negative thought process regarding your circumstances, affects your health. Hopelessness is the fruit. Note the contrast in Proverbs 17:22. It says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you.” We are the obstructors. The Lord is ready to save. Nothing in your life has been in vain because the Lord redeems it all. He uses our adversity for our good. He makes a way when there is no way. We can trust Him to bring all the changes needed in our lives so that we will bear fruit for His glory.

It is essential to remember that fleshly thoughts come UP from our heart. Another’s fleshly behavior does not make us react in our flesh. All actions are first thoughts. If someone is blocking our goals, our reaction is first a thought that comes UP from our heart. Evil thoughts proceed from our heart which affect our behavior. Here is an example: someone is driving really slow and you are rushing to get to an appointment on time. What is your first thought? That thought proceeds a fleshly reaction, or a righteous response.

Can we discern between good and evil thoughts? Yes. The more we observe to do by applying God’s truths to our hearts, the more we will discern the difference when an evil thought comes to the surface. Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food…” Let’s stop there. What is solid food? It is doctrine that rules our thoughts and actions. It is foundational Scripture that brings correction and changes our thoughts, purpose, and actions. The verse continues, “…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.”

Good and evil are like water and oil. They don’t mix. You either have a good thought or an evil thought. You can’t have good and evil one at the same time. It is the same as to whether we follow our flesh or the Holy Spirit. One or the other. God is good, and there is no evil in Him. However, satan is evil, and there is no good in him. Right now, stop and think. God is Master over all, and satan is subject to Him. Who do you want to serve through your thoughts?

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…” There is a lot of world-flak right now in our country and worldwide. Romans 6:12 says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” What are you ‘letting’ in through your eyes and ears? Who are you associating with that influences you? Let us be those who overcome evil with good.

Proverbs 2:1-8 states that wisdom sharpens our discernment. I encourage you to reread them. When their truths are in place, verse 9 says, “Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.” Understanding, wisdom, knowledge, and discretion preserve us in the time of temptation. It is God’s wisdom that comes from above. Here is wisdom derived from evil. James 3:14-15 says, “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.”

Lying, self-seeking, and bitter envy come from evil thoughts. They were planted through fiery darts which we received. They seeded deep to do their deceptive work. These three are just a sampling. Paul’s letters are full of truths that counteract each of these and far more. Ephesians 4:25 says to put away lying. Verse 26 says to not let the sun go down on your anger. Verse 29 says to not let any corrupt word come out of your mouth. Verse 31 says to put away fleshly things, or in other words to cast them away. Verse 32 says that we are to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Those verses are a template for righteousness. Righteousness is conforming our thoughts (by washing our hearts with God’s word) purposes (intentions), and actions (the fruit of our thoughts) to God’s will. Spiritual disciplines are essential. However they won’t bring inner change. We have to renew our mind through truth that will set us free and keep us free. That is what it means to overcome evil with good. Hidden lies deceive. Hidden truth pushes the lies to the surface. This is effective warfare. We discern the lie, confess it as sin, renounce it, and affirm the truth. Then we hide additional Scriptures in our heart that will be like sentinels to alert us to future oncoming fiery darts. 

I’ve continued to meditate on good and evil. It is hard for me to fathom what it was like for Adam and Eve. No sin. There was no conscious awareness of good and evil…until they sinned. In Genesis 3:5 the serpent set the bait. It says, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Adam and Eve were created beings. They had no past. They enjoyed a full and open relationship with the Lord. Why did they hide after they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? For the first time in their lives they knew the difference between right and wrong. They passed it onto their children.

Cain knew he had done wrong, and that is why he hid his sin. You and I are born with the knowledge of right and wrong. Romans 12:21 Amplified says, “Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.” What did God say to Cain? Genesis 4:7 says, “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 shall rule over it.” The Amplified says, “…but you must master it.”

How do we master the temptation to sin that is crouching at our door, ready to spring out and capture us? The key is ‘do not let’ because it is up to us. No one can stop us except ourselves. Have you ever tried to convince someone not to sin? I have. I’ve plead to no avail. 1 Peter 2:1 says, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.” Where do these five things come from?

Matthew 15:19 says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” For years I read this verse and let it roll off my me like water rolls off a ducks back. Why? I didn’t think that they applied to me. Yet, they perfectly define inner defilement.

Evil thoughts are anything that opposes God. Negative dialogue against yourself, others, or your circumstances fall into that category. Hidden sin taints our thoughts. Verse 20 says, “These are the things which defile a man…” Our heart is the seed bed. What we sow into our heart will be reaped through out thoughts which become actions.

What are good thoughts? Any thought that glorifies the Lord. They are thoughts that please Him. David wrote several Psalms that pertain to this truth. Psalm 19:14 is a good one to inculcate. 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 are totally open before the Lord. With that in mind, wouldn’t we want to please Him with our thoughts? Hidden sin is a total and absolute deception, we being the ones deceived.

It is important to remember that when we are saved, our minds are not instantly transformed. We had thought patterns that were of the world. We may have consequences to our sins that still affect us. Since all things are worked by God for our good, what is His good in consequences? I want to give you an example from my own life.

February 1977 I received a phone call early in the morning. The contents of that conversation triggered angry thoughts that were buried from my past. I took off walking at 6:15 AM. I walked a long way. Knowing how I was back then, I was probably negatively dialoguing. The snow had been melting the day before and I was walking in mud. I got bogged down. When I came to the 6′ ravine I stopped and looked down, wondering how I was going to do it. That is all I remembered for 3 1/2 years. I suffered a severe brain injury that stopped me in my tracks.

Note: no one made me angry. That was my choice. I sinned against God and the one I was angry toward. Since nothing is in vain, the Lord used my consequences as a vehicle for His goodness to shine through. I could not work for 6 1/2 years. Most of that time I was bedridden. The Lord used that time to woo me. He brought me into an intimate communion with Him that has not been rivaled to this day. Our communion is my life-strength.

Though I accepted Jesus as my Savior in 1958, many heart-lies remained in place and hidden until 1993. When I learned that not all of my thoughts are of my own origin, that opened doors for tremendous inner healing. Our Heart Surgeon is always at work. I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal the hidden lies. Then as each lie surfaced, I confessed it as sin, renounced it, and then affirmed His truth to replace it. You see, His purpose in our trials is to conform us to His image. Hidden sin keeps us from exemplifying Him.

Let me use Paul as an example. His was the most radical conversion I know. He wrote Romans 6:1-2 that says, “…Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!…” He also wrote Romans 7:20 to help his readers understand an important truth. It says, “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” The end of verse 25 says, “…So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” As long as we are in this body we will battle fleshly thoughts.

Paul wrote another key for us. Ephesians 4:23 says, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Our minds are the battleground between our flesh and our spirit. If we believe one of satan’s lies, it will control our life and rule our thoughts. Truth from God’s word, is like flood waters that uproot massive trees. The truth exposes the long established root-lies by lifting them, roots and all, out of darkness into His light. We then can see them for what they are, confess them as sin, and gain victory!

Adam and Eve’s sin created reverberations that are still affecting everyone born. David succinctly spoke of it in Psalm 51:5. It says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The seed of our conception was corrupted with sin. Mankind’s first sin was rooted in deception. Have you ever considered that your sins are rooted in deception? 

There were other reverberations. In Genesis 3:16 God told the woman, “…I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” In verse 17 He told Adam, “…Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” Verses 18-19 said that there would be thorns, thistles, and sweat.

Disobedience has consequences that reverberate. Here are questions I wrote in my journal: What has brought toil into my life? What thorns and thistles plague me? What thought patterns are sowing weed seeds? 

When we are tempted to sin, we have two choices. We can deceive ourselves and enter in, or we can turn away through truth. We know from Galatians 6:7 that we reap what we sow. There are two kinds of sowing. Verse 8 says, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Here are two facts: we reap more than we sow, and we do not reap in the same season that we sow in.

In Mark 4:13-20 Jesus explained the parable of the sower. Verse 14 says, “The sower sows the word.” We may have sown to our flesh, and are still reaping those consequences. Yet we serve a God of grace. He redeems all things. Nothing is in vain because He works everything in our lives for our good. When we implant Scripture into our hearts, we change the soil. It is much like tilling to remove rocks or clods that would keep the seed from sprouting. Verse 20 says of the seeds, “…the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit..” Are you allowing God’s word to enhance the soil of your heart?

God’s word is alive. The new seeds that we sow are fertile and ready to produce. When we plant His word into our hearts, it changes our whole life. When the Lord shows me a hidden sin that I am still reaping from, I confess it. Then I ask Him to sterilize the seeds that I sowed in my disobedience. I don’t want those weed-seeds to continue to propagate. Weed-seeds are rogue thoughts that oppose God’s word, His will, and His ways.

Proverbs 24:10 says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Isaiah 26:8 says that the Lord gives strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. The battle is in our thoughts. It is essential to remember that all temptations play on our thoughts. Let’s see how this works.

Sampson was extraordinarily physically strong. Yet, in the face of temptations, he was spiritually weak. The Philistines asked Delilah to find out where Sampson’s strength came from. Judges 16:5 says, “…Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies…” They believed that if they knew his source they could conquer him. Listen to the rest of the verse. “…and by what means we may bind him to afflict him…”

What did Sampson do? He was cocky. It seems that he was very sure of himself. However, he was blind before they put his eyes out. His sensitivity to the Holy Spirit was dulled because of his association with evil. Verse 20 says, “…I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free! But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”

Let’s go to another scene. Adam was commanded to not eat of a certain tree in the garden. Genesis 2:17 says, “…for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Scripture does not tell us, but I like to think that Adam warned Eve to not eat of the tree. Yet, when she was tempted by the serpent, note how the temptation played on her mind.

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…”1 John 2:15-16 gives us companion verses. Verse 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.”

Before salvation we loved the world’s words, ways, and activities. We were in the world and the world was in us. We operated from verse 16 which says, “For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Our true spiritual strength lies in our communion with the Lord. John 15:1-8 is about abiding in the Vine. In abiding, we are submitted to the One who carefully inspects under our leaves for eroding pests. He lovingly prunes fruitful branches so we can bear more fruit. Verse 5 says that without Him we can do nothing.

What temptations draw you away from your quiet time with the Lord? What plays on your mind? What are your distractions? The Holy Spirit showed me something this morning. When tempted, if we immediately renew our mind, we will escape the snare.

I usually use Scripture when I’m faced with adversity. It bubbles up because it is hidden in my heart. Yet, consider this. A temptation plays on our mind and draws us into a winding up type dialogue that increases the power of the temptation. Right then, we ‘renew’ our mind by rehearsing the opposite. It will make our mind reverse, unwind, and go the opposite direction of the temptation. Experiential truth keeps us free!

John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Manifest in the Strong’s is defined as: to cause to shine, come to view, reveal, exhibit, make visible, present oneself to the sight of another, and be conspicuous.

Ephesians 3:10 says, “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” God’s intent, through our quiet time with Him, is to reveal Himself through us to others.

We can be sure that satan knows this. His evil intent is to squelch it through appealing temptations. He knows that our strength lies in our vital union with the Lord. Sin blocks that fellowship. He has flesh-actors trained to incite our carnal nature. He sets up temptations that appeal to our flesh. We must remember that satan is a counterfeiter. He cannot speak the truth. Therefore any temptation is laced with lies to entice and trap us.

Let me lay out a few contrasts. God loves His word, but satan hates it. He draws us to Himself, but satan seeks to distract us from our quiet time. We are partakers of Jesus’ nature, but satan incites our flesh to taint our testimony. We dwell with Him in light, but satan lures us into the darkness to hide our sins.

Another role of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction when we stray. 1 John 2:26 says, “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.” All temptations are built on deception. We are drawn in when we forget this dynamic. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Hebrews 3:13 says that our hearts become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Intimate communion with the Lord is designed to instruct our heart. Through our time with the Lord, He loves to reveal deep truths that will bring inner transformation. Psalm 25:14 Amplified says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them (His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.”

1 Corinthians 2:10 Amplified says, “Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the (Holy) Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God (the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny).”

How strong are you spiritually? We will look into that tomorrow.

I started reading the book of Genesis three days ago. I am still at verse 2. It has captured my heart. Picture this with me. Verse 1 says that God created the heaven and the earth. Verse 2 says “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Amplified says, “…moving (hovering, brooding)…”

There was total darkness, but when God said, ‘Let there be light’ there was light. The Holy Spirit hovered over the darkness, so that the light could be conceived at God’s word. He prepared it to change. We get a fuller picture by adding in Luke 1:35. The virgin was barren. Verse 35 says, “…The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you…”

Jump ahead to our salvation. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Through believing what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished, we enter into a personal relationship with a Living Savior. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.

Now I would like you to picture this. As you read your Bible, the Holy Spirit is hovering over you. He highlights a word, or a phrase. He illumines the nuggets of truth He wants to expand on. He causes your heart’s thoughts to prepare for revelation. He conceives an insight in your heart that will enlighten your eyes, and give you understanding that will bring change.

It is in the context of intimate communion with the Lord that He gives revelation. He reveals Himself in a new way. Our relationship is present. It is a living expression of who He is in totality, yet as we gaze at Him, it is somewhat like a kaleidoscope. The slightest turning changes everything. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that as we gaze at Him we are transformed. We also get a picture of this through Revelation  4:8. The four living creatures are gazing at the Lord. They have eyes all around. It is like they get a fresh look at Him and say, “…Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Tomorrow we will deep dive.