Morning Hope – April 16, 2011   

If you read yesterdays post you probably swallowed hard and realized that is something you need to be aware of in your own life.

And if you are anything like me, the minute I see something in the Word I need to change it immediately manifests all around me and my mouth keeps running and I  feel like I had no control over it.

The apostle Paul understood this phenomenon.

So seeing the problem , while it is the first step, is not the complete answer.

What do we use when the Word reveals something to us that needs changed in our lives?

Well here is the first thing to know….

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 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

So we are not going to be able to shut our mouths trying really hard with our fleshly-selves. Which is what Paul is getting at in the verses of Romans we read already.

But the weapons we do have are mighty in God. Praise God! I needed something mighty to control this mouth of mine!!  And this weapon that is mighty in God works against what? “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God”

So it’s vitally important that you have some knowledge of God , who He is, and what he promises you. So the first thing is fellowship with God, in prayer and in the Word. You will have no victory with out this “Food” for battle.

So that when the spirit of strife rises up and you feel the need to “Answer” it, you can say something like this to yourself. “Shut up! The word says where there is strife there is every evil thing and I will not have it!” You do like Jesus did when the temptation arises, “thus sayeth the Lord”, But again, to do that you absolutely must spend time in the Word and time with HIM.

The other “answer” for strife we will begin looking at in the coming days is the Fruit of the Spirit. Each one has a specific “answer” when strife arises and we’ll take a look at them. You have these inside you, and sometimes you just need to release them to work. So we’ll take a look at those.

But for this weekend, get into the Word. Use one of the bible schedules we have for you here on the blog, or just read whatever the Spirit leads you. While you should not get into bondage to a reading schedule, telling your flesh to zip it and reading the Word might have to happen for a few minutes every day. Try one Psalm, or one Proverb , or the book of John, it’s all GOOD!

Be blessed!

-Kath