THINK ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT

” Finally, brethren … whatever is right … think on these things …” Philippians 4:8

We have been unpacking this profound prescription given by the Apostle Paul on the things that we should dwell or think on. I have been working at memorizing this verse because I know full well that if I allow my mind to dwell on the wrong things – it can spell disaster.

Paul says that we are to think about things that are right. The word is derived from the word “just” and if you follow the root, it reminds us that we are justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. But the word goes deeper than that. It means “guided by truth and justice” and relates to “standards and requirements.”

I go back to my thought earlier this week. In order to understand how we should be thinking biblically, we need to immerse ourselves in the study of God’s Word. If I am going to think RIGHT thoughts, then I need to understand how God expects me to live. Proverbs addresses every area of life, from money, to the discipline of my kids, to how interact with people in relation to how I speak.

One of the things that we taught our kids was to be honest in every area of life. On several occasions when we were shopping, we were either not charged for an item or given the wrong change. I can remember several instances where we were given the wrong amount of change, and one time it was significant. We were already in the car, and Jan realized that there was an error. We drove back to the store and the clerk was absolutely baffled by our honesty and didn’t know how to “fix” the transaction. We knew her cash drawer would be short … It was the RIGHT thing to do.

It has been cool to hear our kids tell us their stories of similar situations and how neat it was for them to do the RIGHT thing. If our minds are not thinking RIGHT, we could begin to justify and say, “Well, thank You, Lord, for Your provision! After all, I have been praying for You to meet my needs!” WRONG! Or the self-righteous person might think, “When will these stores hire competent people … oh well … there loss!”

God’s Word and RIGHT -living go hand in hand. If you want to dwell on RIGHT thinking – take some time to search how HE wants you to live.

Great quote: Our God is often too small because he is too religious. We imagine that he is chiefly interested in religion – in religious buildings (churches and chapels), religious activities (worship and ritual), and religious books (Bibles and prayer books). Of course he is concerned about these things, but only if they are related to the whole of life. According to the Old Testament prophets and the teaching of Jesus, God is very critical of ‘religion,” if by that is meant religious services divorced from real life, loving service and the moral obedience of the heart. John R. W. Stott

THINK ABOUT THIS – What is honorable …

” … whatever is honorable … think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

We are looking about Paul’s exhortation from Philippians 4:8 about the things that characterize men who THINK VICTORY! Yesterday we looked at thinking on truth. Today we look at thinking or dwelling on what is honorable. Dr. John MacArthur, in his commentary of Philippians, says that “believers are to think on whatever is honorable, whatever is noble, dignified, and worthy of respect. The word honor comes from a word meaning ‘to revere,’ or ‘to worship.’ In its other New Testament uses, it describes the dignified lifestyle required of deacons (1 Timothy 3:8), deaconesses (1 Timothy 3:11), and older men (Titus 2:2) Believers must not think on what is trivial, temporal, mundane, common, and earthly, but rather on what is heavenly, and so worthy of awe, adoration, and praise. All that is true in God’s Word is honorable.”

In his companion letter to the church at Colossae, Paul wrote, “Set your mind on things above …” (Colossians 3:2) Literally that phrase means “keep on thinking about.” A.T. Robertson says, “It does matter what we think and we are responsible for our thoughts. Paul does not mean that we should never think the things upon earth, but that these should do be our aim, our goal, our master. The Christian has to keep his feet on the earth – but his head in the heavens. He must be heavenly-minded here on earth and so help to make earth like heaven.”

You’ve met men like this whose thoughts are riveted on the honorable not the junk of life. My friend, Pastor Newton Conant, lived life dwelling on the honorable. He forced himself to think godly thoughts and to dwell on heavenly things. He was not a stuffy, snooty old saint – but a man whose life was characterized by humility and love for people. When in his presence, you felt like you were in the presence of the Lord. He was vibrant, joyful, and always expectant of living the “Christ-centered” life.

His daily practice was to immerse himself in the Word and in prayer. He exhibited to me what it means to think about what is honorable. Reading the book of Proverbs every day will help you learn to think about RIGHT things … the things of life that God says are honorable.

How is your thought life today? Purpose to memorize this important verse: Philippians 4:8.

Great quote: In heaven we shall appear, not in armor, but in robes of glory. But here these are to be worn night and day; we must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Christ. William Gurnall

THINK ABOUT WHAT’S TRUE

” … whatsoever is true … think on these things … ” Philippians 4:8

A man who is going to THINK VICTORY is one who thinks about the RIGHT things. Paul, in Philippians 4:8, gives us a prescription for what we should be thinking on. The first is to think on what is TRUE.

We are living in an age where TRUTH is up for grabs. The things that many of grew up on as TRUTH – are no longer “take-it-to-the-bank” things that I can count on, but are “we-think-so” or “I-hope-so” propositions.

Paul tells us we should be thinking on things that are genuine and real – things that are true not false. If left to wander down the wrong path, our minds can easily dwell on the false or the fake rather than the real thing.

This past weekend I hit a wall of just being plain exhausted. The summer was great, people were saved, lives were dedicated to Christ … but the days were long: 78 services plus 10 concerts! We were in more church services in the last two months than some folks attend in a whole year!
After the service on Sunday night, someone that I love and respect made some statements to me after the service that just cut me off at the knees. I was in shock at their words, and quite frankly, I was at the breaking point. As I crawled into bed exhausted, those words just kept swirling through my head, and as tired as I was, I couldn’t get to sleep. The more I thought about these harsh, cruel words, the more I stewed and fumed.

I finally had to stop myself and say, “The statements made were false!
They were not truthful nor where they genuine.” I knew the motive behind them and once I reckoned with the motive, I was able to surrender those thoughts to the Lord and fall asleep.

We are confronted with FALSE thoughts daily. One of the reasons that we need to burn the Word of God into our hearts and minds through memorization and meditation is that when those LIES come, we can replace them with TRUTH! It started back in the Garden of Eden with Eve when the enemy challenged what God said to her.

Don’t dwell on the stuff that isn’t true. Purpose in your heart to THINK ON WHAT IS TRUE … A man who THINKS VICTORY will think what is true.

Great Quote: In response to the criticism “You are going too fast” Booth replied, “If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell whose brothers and sisters are following them there. Let him go and ask the blood-washed throng in Heaven, whose eyes are wide open at last to the value of salvation. Let him anticipate the Judgment Day, and in spirit stand before the Throne and propose, if he dares, the question to God Almighty. I think from Hell, Heaven and the Great White Throne, the answer would come back; “More speed! Go faster!” William Booth

THINK ON THESE THINGS

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8

For days now this verse has been swirling around in my mind. I listened to a message by Dr. Gary Smalley where he shared how meditating on this verse made a huge impact on his life. I have been doing that the past several days now, and for the next several days, I want to try and unpack some of the things that I have been learning as I have meditated on this verse.

Someone has said that we are what we think! Proverbs says that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he!” (Proverbs 23:7) What we think determines how we live and act. The mind is a powerful tool which can be used in our lives for good or for evil. The birth of sin in our lives begins with the conception of it in our minds (James 1:14-15). A man who is going to live victoriously in this ever changing, crazy world, needs to THINK VICTORY!

Ever have a tooth ache? You probably discovered something I have – the more you think about it, the more pain increases. For years advertisers have used subliminal marketing to capture your minds. If they can get you to picture their product in your mind – you will eventually buy it! That is why it is important for us to understand how important it is to fill our minds with the things God delights in. You are what you think, brothers.

I want to encourage you to join me on this journey for the next few days. Take this verse and write it on a 3X5 card and begin to memorize and meditate on it. I think you will be amazed at what you will learn as you allow the Spirit of God to teach you what you should be thinking about.

Great quote: I had feelings of fear about the future…The devil kept on whispering, “It’s all right now, but what about afterward? You are going to be very lonely”….And I turned to my God in a kind of desperation and said “Lord, what can I do? How can I go on to the end?” And He said, “None of them that trust in Me shall be desolate.” That word has been with me ever since. Amy Carmichael

THE HEART OF TEMPTATION

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

For some reason the whole subject of temptation keeps coming up in my devotional reading. In my interaction with staff, guests, Colony men and Christian leaders, there seems to be an all out affront by the enemy, which is probably why there is such a need for this topic in all of our lives.

Listen to these words about the heart of temptation:

“I have learned, Lord, that Satan’s aim in tempting me is to destroy my will. That is clearly revealed in his tempting Jesus, my pattern. Once Jesus had accepted the Father’s will at His baptism, that will was immediately put to the test in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Each of the three temptations was carefully contrived to weaken Christ’s grip on the will of His heavenly Father. Once that grip is loosed, it is only a matter of time before the entire defense breaks down in sin.

Jesus was HUNGRY and TIRED when Satan met him in the desert. The needs of the body are often used as the OPENING WEDGE for an attack on the WILL, whether the need is for food, rest, relaxing or whatever. I make a mistake, however, if I think that Satan will be satisfied merely to trip me up on a physical need; he is after my WILL! The way I handle my body is only the symptom of my basic will commitment. Satan does not try to capture symptoms; he is after the thing that creates the symptoms.

The answer to Satan’s approach through the body is a reaffirmation of my will. ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10) There is decisiveness, finality! I can only be victorious over Satan and his allurements when I nail the peg of commitment further into the soil. I am strengthened by the response of Nehemiah, when asked to compromise with the enemy, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.’ (Nehemiah 6:3) Four times the temptation came, and four times Nehemiah reaffirmed his grip on God’s will for him.
So I must meet Satan head-on, not in peripheries, and send him packing by determining once again to do God’s will and stick to it, regardless.
That is victory for Nehemiah, countless others, and myself.” From DAILY WITH THE KING (Moody Press)

Great quote: The nominal Christian pays homage to something about Jesus, rather than worshipping the man himself. For this reason, nominal Christians will extol the moral teachings of Jesus, the faith of Jesus, the personality of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus, the world view of Jesus, the self-understanding of Jesus, etc. None of these worships Jesus as the Christ, but only something about him, something peripheral to the actual flesh-and-blood man. This is why when the almighty God came into the world in Jesus, he came as the lowest of the low, as weakness itself, as a complete and utter nothing, in order that men would be forced into the crucial decision about him alone and would not be able to worship anything about him. — Robert L. Short

THE HEART OF TEMPTATION

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

For some reason the whole subject of temptation keeps coming up in my devotional reading. In my interaction with staff, guests, Colony men and Christian leaders, there seems to be an all out affront by the enemy, which is probably why there is such a need for this topic in all of our lives.

Listen to these words about the heart of temptation:

“I have learned, Lord, that Satan’s aim in tempting me is to destroy my will. That is clearly revealed in his tempting Jesus, my pattern. Once Jesus had accepted the Father’s will at His baptism, that will was immediately put to the test in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Each of the three temptations was carefully contrived to weaken Christ’s grip on the will of His heavenly Father. Once that grip is loosed, it is only a matter of time before the entire defense breaks down in sin.

Jesus was HUNGRY and TIRED when Satan met him in the desert. The needs of the body are often used as the OPENING WEDGE for an attack on the WILL, whether the need is for food, rest, relaxing or whatever. I make a mistake, however, if I think that Satan will be satisfied merely to trip me up on a physical need; he is after my WILL! The way I handle my body is only the symptom of my basic will commitment. Satan does not try to capture symptoms; he is after the thing that creates the symptoms.

The answer to Satan’s approach through the body is a reaffirmation of my will. ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10) There is decisiveness, finality! I can only be victorious over Satan and his allurements when I nail the peg of commitment further into the soil. I am strengthened by the response of Nehemiah, when asked to compromise with the enemy, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.’ (Nehemiah 6:3) Four times the temptation came, and four times Nehemiah reaffirmed his grip on God’s will for him. So I must meet Satan head-on, not in peripheries, and send him packing by determining once again to do God’s will and stick to it, regardless.
That is victory for Nehemiah, countless others, and myself.” From DAILY WITH THE KING (Moody Press)

Great quote: The nominal Christian pays homage to something about Jesus, rather than worshipping the man himself. For this reason, nominal Christians will extol the moral teachings of Jesus, the faith of Jesus, the personality of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus, the world view of Jesus, the self-understanding of Jesus, etc. None of these worships Jesus as the Christ, but only something about him, something peripheral to the actual flesh-and-blood man. This is why when the almighty God came into the world in Jesus, he came as the lowest of the low, as weakness itself, as a complete and utter nothing, in order that men would be forced into the crucial decision about him alone and would not be able to worship anything about him. — Robert L. Short

WHO ARE YOU KEEPING COMPANY WITH THESE DAYS?

George served as a deacon in the church I pastored in South Jersey. He’s in heaven now, and I miss him. When I served with him, he was in his early 60’s. I was twenty-nine; his boys were both older than I. He never called me anything but “Pastor,” and he never made feel like I was as green in ministry as I was.

George never went past the eighth grade in school. Both his sons graduated from college and had graduate degrees. His parents never owned their own home. George did and paid it off several years early. He was wise. He was humble. He worked hard. He loved Jesus.

Jesus invites us to take His yoke as our own and to walk with Him and learn from Him. George decided to do that when he was just a young man. He continued to walk in that yoke until he died. He learned from Jesus. George knew the Scriptures. He knew godly principles for living. He knew how to love people with the love of Jesus. He knew how to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He learned all of that from walking in the yoke with Jesus.

When I think of the yoke, I think about the good reasons for being in the yoke with Jesus. I think of companionship with Jesus. I think about protection from the wicked one who would destroy my soul. I think of the “rest for your soul” that Jesus promises to those who get in the yoke. I think about the direction for living that comes from walking with Jesus one day at a time for all time.

George told me about how he and his wife dated when they were kids. He called it “keeping company” with Isabelle. They didn’t date; they “kept company.” It’s an old term that you won’t hear much these days. He kept company with the love of his life for more than fifty years. He kept company with Jesus for all those years, too.

Who are you “keeping company” with these days?

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29)

This special weekend edition of Freedom Fighters was written by Pastor John Strain, First Baptist Toms River

Great Quote: We must know the power of the Blood if we are to know the power of God. Our knowing experimentally the power of the Word, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer is dependent upon our knowing the power of the Blood of Christ.

SPECIAL WEEKEND EDITION: What is Capturing Your Attention?

Howard was a quiet, unassuming man. By training he was an engineer.
His skills were best used in the tool and die business he owned. Not long after my wife and I began working in the church he attended, he asked me to come over for a tour of his business.

When I got there he handed me a little piece of metal with a tiny hole running through it. I learned that it was a small valve he made to NASA specifications for the Lunar Landing Module. His firm actually made a piece of the Module that still sits on the moon! As he described it to me, I learned that it was milled to less than 0.002 of an inch.

I thought about Howard as I read Colossians 3:1-3. You don’t machine anything to 0.002 of an inch without a clear mind and focused attention.
The Apostle tells us to live life with that kind of focus. First he tells us to “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” His clear teaching instructs us that some things are more worthy of our pursuit than others. Men who follow Jesus don’t need to wonder about the pursuit. Those things which are above deserve our focus more than things that have no lasting value.

The Apostle goes on to tell us to “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” We don’t need to live with divided minds that waffle between two worlds. Heaven in our goal. We choose to set our minds, to clear them of all other attractions and focus on those things that have eternal value. The instruction is clear: live by the “seek and set” principle!

Howard lived for his business; he loved it. It was his baby. I was impressed with his skill and knowledge. Something else impressed me even more. As much as he loved his business and his family, he loved Jesus more. He lived with incredible focus in his business life, and he was tenacious about doing the best possible job. His love for Jesus and his focus on eternal values never got lost in the business. Putting a tiny little valve on the moon didn’t define his life. He practiced the “seek and set” principle.

What focus captured your attention when you got up this morning?

Today’s Special Weekend Edition of Freedom Fighters was written by Pastor John Strain, First Baptist Toms River.

Great Quote: Prayer is the midwife of mercy, that helps to bring it forth. Matthew Henry

KEEP HUMBLE

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” – 1 Corinthians 10:12

Today’s timely devotional is from the pen of one of the early KESWICK THINK VICTORY! speakers who helped to found the Victorious Christian life movement at America’s KESWICK.

“The Christian who is wholly trusting the Lord for VICTORY soon realizes that many Christians about him have not seen the truth of victory, and are not thus trusting Christ.

He may be in close contact with Christians who are older, much farther along in many ways, yet not living in the victory-secret that is so precious to him. And then comes the peril of pride.

Almost without realizing it the Christian who knows Christ as VICTORY can slip some word criticizing a fellow Christian who is not in on the secret, or a condescending comment on such a one’s mistake or failure. ‘Holier than thou’ is one of the perils of the Victorious Life!

Of course the instant one speaks of another, or thinks in his heart thus of another, his victory is gone; he has sinned. And we must recognize this peril if we would be kept from it.

The Christian who is living in VICTORY is in HIMSELF no whit better than the carnal Christian who is plainly sinning, The self-nature of the two is identical: hopelessly sinful. The only good thing about the victorious Christian is CHRIST; and we deserve no credit for Christ: the glory and honor and VICTORY are all HIS! True victory, therefore, must keep us humble: and it will!” Charles G. Trumbull

Great Quote: “Our strength is never renewed in noise or bustle. These only weaken and waste it. Try it for yourself, dear Christian. The next time you find yourself in need of renewal of strength, get still before the Lord. If possible, sit down in silence somewhere and collect your restless and wandering spiritual faculties into a silent waiting upon Him, and see if strength does flow into you from HIM! This is what the old saints used to call ‘recollection,’ and it was in this way they gained the wonderful spiritual vigor for which we so envy them.” Hannah Whitall Smith

WANTED Dead or Alive Part 4

After all of the Lord’s gentle leading Bill knew in his heart God’s word was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! “I knew what HE wanted but I couldn’t say it, I didn’t want to be gay but I knew I couldn’t stop on my own. I was looking out the window at the big wooden cross in front of the Colony building and the Lord spoke to my heart saying; “You need to give it to Me and say it out loud.” “Ok Lord, I can’t do this so You will need to do it.” “HE said; I know Bill just give it all to Me.”

Finally…a surrender! There had to be one. One way or another. Our God is an awesome God and He loves and wants us. But there is also another whom we are wanted by. He doesn’t love us nor, despite his attempts to deceive us, is he god. He is Satan and would have taken Bill dead or alive, emphasis on dead. Interestingly enough, God wanted Bill dead as well. Dead to himself that is, and raised to walk in the newness of a life in Christ for all eternity. This cowboy can claim a true Victory in Jesus! While Bill is a new creation, he says it is a daily walk with and commitment to the Lord for him. There are still struggles he faces only this time with the Lord. Having continued Victory over his past demands a daily, whole hearted desire and obedience to be transformed and not conformed. He reflects on Ephesians 2: 1-10, (being made alive in Christ.)

Bill graduated the Colony of Mercy, stayed for its discipleship program and was encouraged by Chaplain Jim to work with Harvest Ministries. At the Lord’s direction he accepted an internship at our conference center. I’ve watched him serve our guests with such kindness and sincerity. His southern drawl doesn’t hurt either! He enjoys working at Keswick and desires to stay as long as the Lord would have him. His dreams for the future include the hope of studying biblical counseling. He looks forward to what godly relationships will grow out of his new life. Bill is thriving under the Lord’s hand and says he never in his life had a peace like he has now. As Jesus said in John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

It is our prayer that the following resources would be a tool for someone who may be seeking help: Know this: there is hope and help waiting for you!

America’s KESWICK Colony of Mercy
Addiction Recovery for Men
www.americaskeswick.org
1.800.453.7942 x46

Harvest USA
www.harvestusa.org
215.482.0111

Exodus International
www.exodusinternatonal.org
800.264.0877

Pure Life Ministries
www.purelifeministries.org
800.635.1866

Setting Captives Free
www.settingcaptivesfree.com
330.620.8448

This week’s series has been written by Dina Seaton based on an interview with Bill Pruitt. Bill has reviewed each day’s Freedom Fighter/Victory Call and has graciously approved their inclusion in our Week’s devotionals.

Great Quote: Only the humble are wowed by God’s love to them, wowed by the precious righteousness of Jesus. The rest of us are bored by God’s love to us, and wowed by our own righteousness. Or filled with self-contempt when we fail. Humble people have a healthy indifference to failure. Humble people work hard, but hold on loosely to success or failure, not being confident of what would be best for them, but instead, trusting that their Daddy does. Humble people believe God’s promise to work all things together for the good of His kids. Humble people thank God for everything, even the hard, the irritating. Humble people are not so agendified as to be intense, in a hurry. Humble people are not obsessive about efficiency, productivity, appearance, performance. Humble people are not self-absorbed. Humble people experience the peace that passes understanding, and a joy unspeakable. Humble people are not defensive, and they welcome criticism. Humble people are fun to be around, because they make you feel good about yourself. Humble people are compelling, to non-Christians.

Humble people get no credit for their humility, for they are humbled by God’s Spirit, freshly convicting them of sin, so that they experience newness of LIFE all over again, just like the previous time. – Dave McCarty, Gospel-Friendships