God has a sense of humor.

The other night I lay in bed and realized how little I understood when compared to God's perspective and understanding. The current circumstance had made me realize this. (Christmas Day 2019)

Then a thought came to mind about the scriptures that mention that God creates the hearing ear and the seeing eye. Then I heard the Holy Spirit say "you'll begin to see better in 2020" Get it? 20/20 vision. I chuckled, then laughed.

I realized then, I didn't need to worry. God had it in hand!

PS. 06/28/2020 He has "Everything" in hand. The global shaking is His "Threshing" floor.

The potential in being "Born Again" of the Spirit?.. Emotional Health!

If we are Spirit, Soul, and Body as most Christians believe, how do I make sense of it?

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

I get "body/flesh", the physical, material container. That has a location and has a perspective that is limited by my 5 senses. But...

Genesis 2:7 states that Man was created as a "living soul."

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

The soul consists of the mind, the will, and the emotions.

Image from: www.salvationandsurvival.com/2019/12/christians-do-you-act-out-of-your-soul.html

In one who is born again, the soul and the spirit are mysteriously tied together and make up what the Scriptures call the heart.

The writer of Proverbs declares, " Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." (Prov. 4:23). We see here that the "heart" is central to our emotions and will.

Our "Heart" is comprised of our Soul and our Spirit. Our soul has free will, emotions, and a mind.

My mind through its intrinsic powers of reason and memory can be informed by the limited perspective that my flesh provides, or by the unbound perspective of the Holy Spirit through my Born Again spirit.

My emotions play an important role in many of the choices and decisions my free will allows me to make.

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-much-of-my-decision-making-is-emotional

Proverbs 4:23
New International Version-
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

New Living Translation-
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

New American Standard Bible-
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

King James Bible-
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Contemporary English Version-
Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.

Good News Translation-
Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Three Classes of People

Carnel, Spiritual and Fleshly

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

1 Corinthians 3:1 Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. 2. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 because you are still fleshly.

Ministry before Relationship

Oh Lord! Do we build the Kingdom of God or our own Ministry?

Do we recognize what you are doing? Then take what you've taught, document it, and then try to replicate it because we believe it was you who revealed yourself. And then seek out our ministry in our understanding instead of trusting you with all our heart?

The Desert

The desert is a place where God “tests” his people. To see if they will obey him or not. Are they trustworthy? 

It is a place where He deals with issues that hinder the true believer from hearing his voice and walking in his ways. As long as we trust in our own understanding as long as we believe we know what to do, God cannot fully (bless) support our activities (the activity isn’t the issue). If we take credit (pride) we prove our untrustworthiness. 

His desire is to fellowship with us intimately. To share His inmost heart, what He thinks and how He feels about everything and everyone around us. If He can’t trust us, He is unable to share as much as He would like to. 

He is the truth, the way, and the life. Can God trust me with great insight and spiritual understanding? Humility – seeing who I am really. Dependence: seeing who God is…savior, Lord. God is the only source of wisdom and understanding. I don’t need principles of life; I need the Author of life. I don’t need things to make me happy. I need the joy that comes from making God happy. Am I committed to the journey? Do I walk according to what I already know? Do I believe that God will hold me accountable?

Are God’s priorities my priorities? (What did Jesus read out loud at the beginning of His earthly ministry Luke 4:18)

We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Set the captive free. Mend the broken heart. Declare the acceptable year of the Lord. God wants to give me His heart (love) for those I come in contact with. He wants to tell me what He thinks and how He feels about all of those around me. Can He trust me? Lord I want to be trustworthy, Amen.

The vision to travel all over the world and take pictures for you, the promise to give me a wife and family motivated me when I saw them as goals that would fulfill me. Make me happy? Complete me? Activities? Jobs? Careers? What is God’s will? The promise motivates obedience. As we try to obey, God shows us all our weaknesses. All our sin that hinders. 

You purge us of pride, selfish ambition, selfishness, and self-centeredness. As we try to build our own reputations, as we try to secure our own comfort and security as we try to be happy and successful. You show us life. It’s in you, not apart from you. It’s not in acquiring knowledge of life principles that we find all the things we think we need. Apart from you, everything is vain and empty. Life is found at your feet in humble dependence. Eternal treasure is gained in trust and obedience.

Distraction.

I've come to realize that worry is a distraction. You may think your worry is justified. That the time you spend worrying about it is required because your love for the one on your heart needs help.

Have you done what God asked you to do? Then give it to him.

Pay attention to your present situation. Don't be distracted by what you have no control over. The tomorrow you think will happen, you have no idea. Proverbs 3:5-6

Who is the enemy?

Ephesians 6:12  For our battle is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. 

IT IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE. Fought in the Spiritual realm. It is only successful for us in the physical realm, who have been born of the Spirit, when we proclaim "Not my will but yours be done" and then trust and obey His guidance in that moment.

https://www.gotquestions.org/spiritual-realm.html

"Mindfulness" the latest buzzword for self-actualization.

Usually attributed to Buddhist practice but the Bible calls every believer to be aware of and submit every thought to the Lordship of Christ

https://activechristianity.org/how-do-i-take-every-thought-captive

Remember "truth separated from God becomes deception."

2 Corinthians 10: 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

https://activechristianity.org/is-it-even-possible-to-keep-my-thoughts-pure

The "Situation".

Refers to my inertial frame that exists as an identifiable circumstance even as things change around me

Fundamentals

Hosea 4:6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Prov. 29:18 Where there is no Vision (When people do not accept divine guidance) the people perish.

As the Father...

John 20:21-22 (GNT)

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."

The Mission of the Christ

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;