Put, put, let, let and set

Have you ever considered the importance of small words? Like BE! When God created heaven and earth, He used the word be - light be! - and light was. I know He probably didn't speak English, but in English, the word He used is be.
There are other small words with great importance, like put, let and set. And who's to do the putting, letting and setting? We are, you and I. Like it says in Colossians 3, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth ... put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering ... put on love ... let the peace of God rule in your hearts ... let the word of Christ dwell in you richly ..." (vv. 2,12,14-16, my emphases).
What do these small words have in common? They all point toward something very important in God's Word: There are a lot of things you and I need to do, not wait on God to do it for us.
Who is supposed to do the setting? Who is supposed to do the putting on and the letting? Not God, not Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit, but you and I, by the Holy Spirit's help. When God says put on love, He means that you and I shall get dressed in His love. When He says set your mind on things above, He means that I shall do the setting, in this case think about His things in stead of my things and the world's things.
And now comes the most important point in today's blog: All the putting, letting and setting we do starts in our thoughts! If I am to set my mind (which is my thoughts, my will and my emotions) on things above, it means that I have to deliberately think on these things. It means that I go to an effort to push aside (in my thoughts) the things of this world (bad, negative, destructive thoughts that will ruin my relationships and make me depressed and want to quit).
John 10:10 says that it is the thief that comes to kill, steal and destroy. And the thief is Satan himself. And his best and mostly  used battleground, is our minds. If he can make us think destructive thoughts, our lives become destructive, fruitless and meaningless. However, Jesus came to give us life, life to the full.
A full life is obtained when you and I are setting our minds on Jesus, putting aside evil thoughts and letting God's goodness and His thoughts fill us.
Try it today. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He is more than willing to assist you into a better life where you're the overcomer, not the overcome.

Are you afflicted?

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of  them all" (Psalm 34:19).
This verse of Scripture gives a pretty accurate picture of many people's situation today. Many are our afflictions. Being a Christian does not mean that we float through life on a cloud with a silver lining. Being a Christian means that we live in a world where sin, sickness, death and afflictions are overwhelming. I am not exempt from life's atrocities, and you're not either. However, and this is where being a Christian makes a tremendous difference in life, BUT THE LORD DELIVERS HIM (you and me) OUT OF THEM ALL! Not one or two of them once in a while, but all of them, all the time! Whatever affliction comes against me and tries to overtake me, the Lord delivers me out of it - every time and every one of them.
What does it take to be delivered? FAITH! Faith in His Word, faith in His ability to deliver me, and faith in His power in me to lead me safely through the difficulty and into His safe haven. How many times will He do it? Every time!
Are you afflicted today? Ask the Lord to deliver you, seek Him in His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into full freedom.
Maybe there are people you need to forgive? Or others you need to ask forgiveness? Be open to the Holy Spirit and don't give up until you are really free. You have God's Word that He wants to deliver you from all your afflictions!

Are you faithful?

Faithfulness - it's not the most widespread human quality we see today. However, faithfulness is one of the most important qualities that should mark a Christian. A believer in Jesus Christ should be faithful both to God and to his or her fellow human beings.
What does it mean to be faithful? According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, faithful means able to be trusted; conscientious, true to the facts; accurate; never had a sexual relationship with anyone else (than one's spouse). The sad fact is that there's probably no-one who can say that they are now and have always been 100 % faithful according to these definitions. The good fact, however, is that from this day forward I can choose to be faithful! Faithfulness is a choice, and you and I can choose to be faithful!
Why is it important to be faithful? Because God needs to be able to trust you and me to fulfil the tasks He has given us to do. He needs ME to be faithful to my calling, and He needs YOU to be faithful to your calling. And today I choose to stay faithful to God.

Where is your confidence?

I could also ask the question this way: "In whom do you trust?"
Maybe you trust in the Government? In many of the western, social democratic countries, the Government is the source of confidence for many people. If I don't have a job, I get unemployment benefits; if I am ill and cannot work, I can take sick leave and get sickness allowance, long- or short term; and when I'm old enough, the Government pays me a monthly allowance just because I've reached a certain age. That's good! And many people who don't have these benefits, envy us and want to move to our countries to enjoy this kind of economic security.
Is the Government your security and does your confidence lie in the State?
Then what happens if the Government decides to alter the laws and remove the benefits? That could happen. Then what?
I am blessed to live in a country which has good social security laws. However, my confidence is not drawn from my Government, but from God. He is the source I trust in, rely on and cling to. God is my confidence! His Word, which contains His "manifesto" so to speak, says that He is always faithful, He has all the resources I need, He has all knowledge, all wisdom and everything I need for this life and for the next. God is my confidence, and He is my source. And I can praise Him with the Psalmist, and say: "All my fountains are in you" (Psalm 87:7).