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Sound Mind

To have a sound mind is to have a disciplined mind. A sound mind knows God, knows His principles, hears from Him in any situation, and submits to Him in obedience for His purposes.

One commentary describes sound-mindedness as “safe-minded, issuing in prudent (“sensible”) behavior that ‘fits’ a situation, i.e., aptly acting out God’s will by doing what He calls sound reasoning” (HELPS Word-studies).

This definition is referenced in 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJ, which says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Sound-mindedness is from a root word that means “truly moderate” and “discreet” or “chaste” (Strong’s#4998). 

This root word can be traced one more level down into two Greek words: One being sozo, which means wholeness of life, and can specifically mean to save, heal, rescue and deliver out of danger, destruction and the penalty and peril of sin (Strong’s #4982). The other root word (phrén) references a person’s thought process, understanding or, more specifically, their “inner outlook (mind-set, insight) that regulates outward behavior” (HELPS Word-studies, Strong’s #5424).

Sound-mindedness as self-control is, in fact, a fruit of The Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:23, against which “there is no law.” And we do grow in it over time.

This fruit is a mastery within one’s self that can flow outwardly, only by the power of Holy Spirit through a submitted vessel.

So, to have a sound mind is to have a mind that is synced with the life of Holy Spirit inwardly in our thoughts and outwardly in our speech and actions, which is the safest place to be because it’s life-giving. 

God’s truth is that all born-again believers have sound-mindedness in them and are capable of behaving in life-giving ways inasmuch as they grow in Him.

What’s interesting is the sequence of words used in 2 Timothy 1:7, which are those of power, love and then a sound mind. This sequence clearly reveals God’s order and way in which He moves in and through His chosen vessels: First with power. Then in love. Then with a sound mind. All three are necessary and work together in this order to bring blessing. 

We may need to press through the first part of 2 Timothy 1:7, which is to overcome any opposition of fear, timidity, cowardice or cringing that’s not of God. 

Knowing this helps set our minds rightly on Him and His way to experience His power, love and sound-mindedness in demonstrations. Sometimes, we have to intentionally choose to get past it and let it become our new normal in new circumstances and assignments as He calls us all up higher. 

A Biblical example of this would be how Peter and John behaved when they encountered the lame man in Acts 3:4-7 and then interacted with the crowd in verse 16. 

The New King James Version says, “And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”

Here, as a vessel of deliverance, Peter acted in a manner of confident boldness, not in the least bit of fear, and even in front of a crowd on Solomon’s porch.

He spoke God’s truth to the crowd as a teacher in Acts 3:16 when he said, “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” 

This kind of soundness means wholeness, completeness and divine health (Strong’s #3647). So, this was a faith-filled demonstration of true sound-mindedness with a purpose and tangible result of resurrection life (Ro 8:11).

And this is precisely what can happen and more when we walk with Holy Spirit in life-giving sound-mindedness. This is how a fountain of blessing comes through a life lived out with Him as our Lord.

Solomon himself reminds us of this wisdom in Proverbs 14:30 MSG, which says, “A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones.”

So, Lord, 

We thank You for inviting us up higher. Please do that which only You can do, and make us vessels of your power, love and sound-mindedness. For Your glory and even for our own benefit and the benefit of others as in Psalm 103.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Life Restoration

As I sought The Lord’s heart for what He would like to share this week, I saw some key Words in visions, as usual. And I sensed in my spirit that, for some, who have been working diligently to tie up loose ends in a handful of areas, you will be packing it up very soon to then pull up your tent pegs and cross over. 

Also, I believe Holy Spirit has a Word of caution for these diligent ones to be careful in their pace and to pay attention to details in your circumstances. They are important and will have a lasting impact on your own mission and others you’re trying to reach. 

So, be careful to not get too tired or scramble so quickly that you overlook seemingly small things that can potentially prove to work against your purpose. 

Many of us may have known people (or have been people) who have unintentionally sabotaged purpose, because they have moved so fast they didn’t take time to make sure the details were accurate and in order. 

I believe Holy Spirit would say to you that you don’t have to move in haste, as He has gone before you to prepare the way and is also present as your rear guard. He is with you all the way. And just as He has prepared you, He has prepared what He’s sending you into.

You don’t have to worry. You just need to be awake, be wise and be careful in your progression.

I feel led to share a brief personal testimony here:

Many years ago, when our Lord brought me into a life-changing assignment, He sent an angel to me early on, who shared four keys to help me navigate my impossible promise. One of those keys was careful obedience. 

As I searched out “careful obedience,” in Holy Scripture, and walked further into my new journey, it became clear that my big, new assignment, my fulfilled promise required a Joshua level of courage and obedience.

This may sound strange to some, but God will absolutely send us into a promised land, where our assignments are over our heads—ones we cannot even survive without a close alignment with Him.

He will lead us into areas that are entirely new to us, where we will have to depend on His voice and promptings to succeed. Our obedience to His directives will link us to His phenomenal blessings. 

Remember, God desires to bless us beyond where we’ve been. And going back is not an option.

For many, blessing will feel like deliverance from suffering and favor over unfairness as they step out. They will experience God fighting on their side in new ways as He brings them into big shifts of outward restoration.

This leads into the next point Holy Spirit revealed to me, which is that the assignment you are about to step into is purposed to be life-giving for you, too! 

Some may not have considered this, because of such a long season of preparation in the wilderness. But that preparation was a “come away” for the assignments that are now opening up. And God’s invitation to step out now is not only into your mission, it’s your personal exodus into a better life outwardly.

Remember, the wilderness was not a place of captivity. It was an intimate cocoon for inward transformation and preparation. A protected place to be captivated by God and strengthened by Him through revelations of His truth and divine downloads of strategy for right now.

So, as you step forward into your newness, which is your time of great rescue and visible restoration, be confident in God and what He grew you into. Because, the same God that you came to count on in your cocoon is the same God you can lean on now. 

Remember to continue to seek Him and choose His wisdom forward, because what is and is to come will look different than before. But He remains your constant. 

Remember that God gave Joshua a new strategy for each battle. So, Joshua was able to grow in his careful obedience to experience outward victory battle-by-battle. 

And, just like Joshua, this is a time of Isaiah 49:25 TPT, where we can experience God’s fight on our behalves to be expressed outwardly. At the same time, we can experience Psalm 30:1 TPT, where He will bring us into an outward restoration above our enemies to the extend that our joy is made full.

So, it’s time to experience new expressions of God’s reign of authority and rain of blessings in our lives. And it’s time to finally experience the joy of the visible fruit of endurance, in which we were steeped.

To God be the glory.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Idleness & Idolatry – Part 2

Closely related to idleness is idolatry. The common letter that begins both of these words is “I.” If you look up “I” in Vine’s dictionary, you will see that it means “ego,” something we all need to submit to The Great I AM.

Idolatry

All levels of idolatry involve exhorting our selfish ways above Holy Spirit—knowingly or unknowingly. Therefore, this makes the practice of idolatry a sin of pride that results in low-level living.

When people turn away from God and worship false gods (that can include our own mindsets), they become slaves “to the depraved ideas idols represent…and thereby, to divers lusts,” according to Vine’s. It can be “traced to lack of the acknowledgement of God and of gratitude to Him.”

What we especially need to know about idolatry, in a practical sense, is that it’s a bondage that leads to captivity of the soul, where idolaters bear little or no fruit (Is 46:2). We need to know that, in troubled times, idols will not help: They never answer or save. And they are powerless to do so (Is 46:8). 

Isaiah 44:9 TPT says that “Idol-makers amount to nothing, and the things they treasure can do no one any good. They are witnesses with blind eyes who know nothing; they will be disgraced.” In verse 11, God says idol-worshippers will be “terrified” and “put to shame.”

According to Isaiah 45:20 TPT, worshipping idols results in receiving no revelation knowledge. This is the very opposite of what Jesus came to do, which is to open our blind eyes to Him!

Knowing all of this, we can easily see that the enemy tries to use idolatry to make our efforts fruitless and disgraceful (Jn 15:5). Remember that fruitlessness is a definition of idleness (Strong’s #692). And dis-gracefulness is disempowerment, because anything dis-graceful lacks the grace-power of God. 

If you or I have felt bound up, blind, shamed, terrified or powerless, we need to ask Holy Spirit to reveal any idols in our hearts to us so we can renounce them. God tells how to renounce idols in Isaiah 46:9, saying, “Acknowledge that I am God, and there is no other.” 

The Word that came forth for this message is this:

Idolatry will look different forward. As God shifts His people into bigger, we must be especially careful to not make idols out of our pasts. Do not let memories, soul ties, fears or traumas interrupt faith for the future. We will be tested to not look back to ungodly things.

Michal

As an example, Holy Spirit highlighted Saul’s daughter, Michal, and how she was triggered when she saw King David’s wild dance (2 Sa 6:16). Her unfaithful action of attacking David’s heart and spirit proved to be the opposite of Queen Esther coming before her king, prepared and in submission to God.

Michal was un-submitted to both God and David after they both brought her into promotion. Her reaction, when she saw her king dance for his King, revealed the unfaithfulness in her own heart toward both. As a result, she was not blessed in her household (2 Sa 6:20-23).

Michal still needed to grow in faith for the new things God was doing, even though she was already seated in her promotion. 

So, as in Michal’s story, our faithfulness is key. We are to be captivated by Jesus alone, keeping our eyes on higher, renouncing all ties with lesser behaviors and un-glorified things that aren’t worth our time, energy or entanglement, including our own limited opinions.

God, in His rich mercy, has brought His righteousness closer to us all through Jesus. He is about to “break the powers of wickedness” and promote His faithful ones, who cry out to Him (Ps 75:10 TPT). He is about to make them powerful as they praise Him. He will strengthen His faithful ones by His measureless grace—those who leave all of their cares and anxieties at His feet (Ps 55:2 TPT). And choose His higher way of joy.

So, pray with me, if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

I turn to You and acknowledge that You are God and there is no other.

Thank You for bringing Your righteousness closer to me through Jesus for Your glory (Is 48:11 TPT).

I choose gratitude and invite You to search my heart and reveal to me any areas where I have participated in idleness or idolatry, including stubbornness and covetousness.

I renounce all forms of prideful idleness and idolatry and command these spirits to depart from me now. I break the enemy’s plots against me and choose Your plan today, Lord. 

Thank You for restoring my heart to wholeness and my mind to soundness. Thank You for setting me free, so I can walk in Your blessing to be a blessing.  

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

Now, I declare the blessing of Isaiah 45:8 TPT over you, which is to “Shower down righteousness, O heavens above. Let the clouds drip with deliverance! Let earth’s womb open and bear salvation’s fruit, with righteousness rising up beside it!” You, “Yahweh, have created all of them!”

And I declare, according to Isaiah 61:11 TPT, that “In the same way the earth produces its crops and seeds spring up in a garden, so will the Lord Yahweh cause righteousness and praise to blossom before all the nations!”

To Him be all glory, honor and praise!

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Idleness & Idolatry – Part 1

For several days in a row, Holy Spirit spoke to me about idols and being idle in this order, giving me a revelation that these two sins are closely related. 

His purpose is twofold: First, to deal with any residual in our lives that may be holding us back and, secondly, to help us guard against these culprits forward. 

Our gracious Lord is setting us up for victory going into the promised land by both forewarning and fortifying us against the enemy’s temptations and captivations.

After highlighting several verses and digging out Biblical definitions, He brought to mind Achan at Ai. If you’re not familiar with his story, you can read it in the Book of Joshua, chapter 7.

Here’s the Word that came forth:

Status quo is over! It’s time to “shift into bigger!”

There’s no room for carnal pleasures of the past. It’s time to rise and do the work God instructed. It’s time to awaken to the new. It’s time to lift our heads and celebrate our new beginnings. It’s time for joyous synergy! 

The destruction of yesterday will be no more for God’s people. It’s time to leap over the ash heap and build anew. It’s time to go and do the will of God.

Miracles of intervention will take place in the middle of working through a mess (Jos 8).

Do not fear, for fears of all types can cause a sense of dread and idleness. Distractions and wrong priorities are also culprits. 

What we think we have to do may not be so, according to God. Do the one thing He instructed (Is 47:17).

He has been growing us in submission to Him and is now reprioritizing and opening doors for what’s most important to produce fruit. He has healed and restored us to do the work at hand and do it diligently. 

Our time is not our own!

Isaiah 47:8 TPT speaks of Babylon as a “pampered lover of pleasure.” But God is righting life for His people. He is tearing down false empires, self-proclaimed dynasties and repositioning His people out of bondage and false systems to do Kingdom work. 

He is actively working Psalm 75:10, which is to empower the uncompromising righteous and disempower the ungodly. He is dealing with idle ideas, the idle maker (enemy) and idle makers (those aligned with devil).

He is setting things right by His grace-power. He is putting an end to bondages suddenly and in a single day (Is 47:9). 

Enough captivity!

It’s time to be captivated by God above all else. He’s cutting ties and tethers to what was. He’s resetting His people for better and far better. 

What have you been bound to? It’s time to realize God sees and knows.

It’s time to be set free. It’s time to get up and go do the work at hand by God’s grace-power. It’s time to expand with the active wisdom and knowledge of Christ. It’s time for truth to pierce the darkness. 

It’s time to be set free, to go and do. To build God’s Kingdom!

Idleness

In 2 Thessalonians 3, we read that Paul instructs the church to imitate him and his team. He points out that they were not idle in relationship with them and that they worked day and night, as to not burden them (vs 7-9).

The Word “idle” (Strong’s #812) here means “to be out of order, be remiss.” To “riot, rebel, behave disorderly,” neglect duty and to be careless in habits. It means to “behave improperly” and “behave self-disorderly.” 

Another commentary defines idleness as “…to be out of proper order (arrangement), i.e., breaking rank (disregarding commands, authority)” (Helps). And a third commentary defines it as to “act in an undisciplined manner” (NAS). A fourth commentary defines it as “of soldiers marching out of order or quitting the ranks, to be neglectful of duty, to be lawless, to lead a disorderly life” (Thayer’s).

Being idle, of course, is the opposite of God’s recipe for success, which is described in Isaiah 47:17 TPT, where He says, “I am the One who teaches you how to succeed and who leads you step by step in the way you should go.”

In this simple, put powerful verse, we can see God’s authority and that He requires order, action and our obedience.

To be sure, we do not want to model the Babylonians, who were confused, rebellious pleasure seekers that met their demise (Is 47).

Proverbs 14:23 TPT reminds us that “If you work hard at what you do, great abundance will come to you. But merely talking about getting rich while living to only pursue your pleasures brings you face-to-face with poverty.”

Thankfully, the apostle Peter shares seven virtues we already have within us that will keep us from being “inactive or fruitless” (Strong’s #692) (2 Pe 1:8). They are goodness, understanding, strength of self-control, patient endurance, godliness, mercy and unending love (2 Pe 1:5-7).

That’s all for this week. Join me next week for Part 2 of Idleness & Idolatry.

To God be the glory. 

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Righteous Dedication 

We’re shifting into a place where God is making things in our lives more right (Is 46:13).

Where we have awakened to God’s wisdom and known Him more, where we’ve chosen more true justice above self-justification, more God dependence over self-reliance and more selflessness in general over selfishness, God is bringing His beloved into an abundance of manifest righteousness (Is 61:11).

The verse Holy Spirit highlighted to me is Isaiah 43:7 TPT, which says, “Bring me everyone who is called by my name, the ones I created to experience my glory. I myself formed them to be who they are and made them for my glory.”

Even as I write, I have a sense that this manifest righteousness will touch every area of our lives and some areas in particular more than others.

This is a recompense, yes, a reward for faithful commitment and even more. It’s an expression of God’s faithfulness. A reflection of Him in our inward state of being. A gracious revealing that Holy Spirit has grown His willing ones to receive better. It’s answer to prayer and markers of destiny. It’s gracious blessing of making so many full of His joy to bring Him glory and overflow to others (Is 43:7 TPT).

HELPS Word-studies says of these righteous ones “…they are justified (…”made right, righteous”) by God’s grace each time they receive (obey) faith” (Strong’s #1344).

The Word righteous means what’s just in character and ways, according to God (Vine’s). It’s what’s approved by God and judged as right, just and holy in His eyes. 

Righteousness works in tandem with justice as a governing rule of divine authority. So much so that they’re the foundation of God’s throne (Ps 89:14). Therefore, anything that is truly righteous is supportive of God’s reign.

To be dedicated to this, means one must submit to God’s heart, His nature—His holy character and ways.

By grace through faith, Christ makes us righteousness in spirit. To choose to be dedicated to Him in soul and body requires us to align with His Spirit in character and principles, trusting Him enough to follow His lead and sacrificing whatever is necessary along the way as we grow in Him.

Therefore, a righteous walk requires us to conform to Him and His will consistently. And we can only do this with Holy Spirit’s help. As we know Him and yield to Him increasingly, He lifts us out of dis-grace and builds us in what’s right in His eyes by His grace-power. 

In this way, God restores honor. 

As God does this, He will alert His willing ones to any diversion(s) as attacks against them and their path to get them off-course.

These diversions are efforts of the enemy that oppose God’s righteous direction for His beloved. They often work through a well-meaning, but self-righteous person, full of their own opinions; or through an envious person, who’s under demonic influence, such as Saul toward David.

Holy Spirit especially highlighted this to remind His people to be alert as we build forward with God’s anointing to restore His people (1 Pe 5:8).

This reminds me of Nehemiah and his famous message: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you” (Ne 6:3 ESV)? In other words, don’t bow to the enemy.

What’s right in God’s eyes often doesn’t make sense to many of us, including loved ones who desire God’s best for us and, yes, especially to those who work against us and God. Therefore, it’s critically important to discern what’s truly of God by listening to His voice above every other, and follow His instructions, even if they seem new to us or unusual.

Remember, too, that a person cannot dedicate themselves to God and evil simultaneously. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:14 TPT, “Don’t continue to team up with unbelievers in mismatched alliances, for what partnership is there between righteousness and rebellion? Who could mingle light with darkness?”

Sadly, this can even mean those close to us, whom we love, even believers who still have unbelief in one or more particular areas.

Therefore, we must make wise choices on the right path in God’s eyes, even if others close to us don’t understand. To do this, we must have a closer relationship with God than anyone else. We must hear from Him for ourselves and study His Word. 

We are coming into a time of Psalm 30:1 and we need to continue to stay on course and be strong in our Lord. 

The TPT version of this verse says, “Lord, I will exalt you and lift you high, for you have lifted me up on high! Over all my boasting, gloating enemies, you made me to triumph.”

So, let’s discern His best for our lives.

Pray with me if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for your rich mercy, for choosing us and for building us by Your grace-power (2 Ti 3:16). Please continue to help us by expanding our hearts of dedication to You, as our superpower (Ja 1:12).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.