Tag: Sin

34.b. “Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”

 

 Matthew 18:1  At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

 Psalms 51:10-13   Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

 Acts 3:19   Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

 Acts 28:27    For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

 1 Corinthians 14:20     Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

 Psalms 131:1-2   O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

 Isaiah 57:15    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Luke 14:11     For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 James 4:10     Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

I have much to say about humbleness, repentance, belief, grace, mercy, etc… However, as your read these Scriptures of God’s Word, let the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts accordingly for they are full of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Holiness of God and the lowliness of man. For with the right heart and mind, these Words of God will speak into your life.

32.d. “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

 

 

John 3:22  After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison). Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

 Isaiah 53:2-3    For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 Isaiah 53:12   Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

 Daniel 2:44-45   And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,  just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

 Psalms 72:17-19     May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.  Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

John the Baptist understood it was good for him to become less visible and known, for Jesus to become more visible and known. In even larger aspects, this should be the motto of every Christian, especially leaders among God’s people. Jesus should become greater and more visible, and the servant should become less and less visible.

 John the Baptist shows us that we may be very popular and outwardly successful, and still be humble. John the Baptist had fame and crowds that modern celebrity pastors could only dream of, yet he was an example of genuine humility. John that Baptist also did not quit his work just because Jesus was doing similar work and doing it for more people. He labored on, content to do what God called him to do even though Jesus gained more and more attention and John less and less.

When we intentionally choose in all we say, think, and do, to do for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ, it is then we will not even notice our fading but rather more and more of Jesus radiating in and through us and others. 

32.b. “Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

 

Matthew 9:1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

 Psalms 32:1-2  Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

 Isaiah 44:22   I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

 Jeremiah 31:33-34   For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

 Romans 4:6-8    just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

 Isaiah 35:5-6  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;  then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

 Isaiah 43:25   “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

We also note that the presence of so much sickness among Israel was evidence of their unfaithfulness to the covenant and their low spiritual condition. God gave them the opposite of what He promised under Exodus 15:26: If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.

I am not sure this man’s paralysis had anything to do with a particular sin.  Could it be that Jesus wanted all to know the importance of sin and the need for forgiveness? Physical healing has benefit this side of eternity but does nothing in terms of eternity destiny.  I wonder how many people would choose physical healing over the forgiveness of sin? By far the better choice would be forgiveness of sin. This man’s friends had faith even though it does not mention the faith of the paralytic. Their faith drove them to bring their friend to the feet of Jesus Christ. I doubt they were thinking of “forgiveness of sin” being the result of their faith.  They wanted their friend to be healed. yet, Jesus gave far better healing, a healing of the soul with eternal value. What was the reaction of the Scribes – within their own minds they proclaimed Jesus to be blaspheming. Know their thoughts Jesus address the evil that is in these scribes’ hearts. Jesus pardons sin first and this is seen as an act against God by the very people (scribes) who should have been able to recognize and know Jesus was the promised Messiah. Certainly, they were familiar with prophecy in scripture. Psalm 103.3 “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy diseases.”

Jesus knew the faith of the paralytic and his friends. Jesus knew the condition of the paralytic’s heart regarding sin. Jesus knew the thoughts of the Scribes. We can see physical healing when it takes place, but forgiveness of sin in another person is beyond our knowing. Jesus gave proof of His ability o forgive sin by healing the paralytic. People seeing the healing gave glory to God. You have to imagine this act of healing gave pause to the Scribes. Surely some of them took it to heart, and yet, others would not. 

Healing of the heart and soul through faith in Jesus Christ results in eternal life. Rejecting this healing results in eternal Hell and torment.

31. “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

Matthew 5:17  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 Romans 3:31    Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

 Luke 16:17     But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

 Galatians 3:17-24    This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.  For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.  Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.  Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.  Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.  So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

Jesus here began a discussion of the law and wanted to make it clear that He did not oppose what God gave Israel in what we call the Old Testament. He did not come to destroy the word of God, but to free it from the way the Pharisees and Scribes had wrongly interpreted it. Jesus wanted to make it clear that He had authority apart from the Law of Moses, but not in contradiction to it. Jesus added nothing to the law except one thing that no man had ever added to the law: perfect obedience. This is certainly one way Jesus came to fulfill the law. Even though He often challenged man’s interpretations of the law, Jesus never broke the law of God. Faith was never to be separated from the law but somehow man had changed faith into works apart from faith. The more laws they could follow without breaking the more righteous they felt they were. It is as if they were defining what it meant to be righteous by following in obedience to many of the man instituted obligations and rules.  The purpose behind obedience is not for obtaining righteousness but a person’s life committed to that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.  Don’t lose sight of this.  Too often people try to do good to outweigh what they have done wrong.  There is nothing wrong with doing good, but there is an absolute wrong when the good is an attempt to make oneself right before God.  Only faith, trust, hope, and reliance on Jesus Christ will right the wrongs in our life. 

29.o. “Forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

 

Colossians 3:13 forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

 Matthew 6:14-15  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 Matthew 18:21-35   Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

When one thinks of how Christ forgave you it should make us much more generous with forgiveness.

· God holds back His anger a very long time when we sin against Him. He bears with us a long time, even when we sorely provoke Him.

· God reaches out to bad people to bring forgiveness to them; the habit of man is to not reconcile if the offending person is a person of bad character.

· God makes the first move towards us in forgiveness; the habit of man is to only be reconciled if the offending party craves forgiveness and makes the first move.

· God forgives often knowing that we will sin again, sometimes in the exact same way. It is the habit of man to forgive only if the offending party solemnly promises to never do the wrong again.

· God’s forgiveness is so complete and glorious that He grants adoption to those former offenders. In the habit of man, even when forgiveness is offered, he will not lift again the former offender to a place of high status and partnership.

· God bore all the penalty for the wrong we did against Him. In the habit of man, when he is wronged, he will not forgive unless the offender agrees to bear all the penalty for the wrong done.

· God keeps reaching out to man for reconciliation even when man refuses Him again and again. In the habit of man, one will not continue to offer reconciliation if it is rejected once.

· God requires no probationary period to receive His forgiveness; in the habit of man, one will not restore an offender without a period of probation.

· God’s forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor; in the habit of man, we feel we should be complimented when we merely tolerate those who sin against us.

· Once having forgiven, God puts His trust in us and invites us back to work with Him as co-laborers. In the habit of man, one will not trust someone who has formerly wronged him.

iii. “Suppose that someone had grievously offended any one of you, and that he asked your forgiveness, do you not think that you would probably say to him, ‘Well, yes, I forgive you; but I – I – I – cannot forget it’? Ah! dear friends, that is a sort of forgiveness with one leg chopped off, it is a lame forgiveness, and is not worth much.” (Spurgeon)

It only takes one to forgive but takes two to reconcile. Without forgiveness there is no room for reconciliation. Be the person who forgives and builds the foundation and support to bridge reconciliation.

29.m. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you”

 

Colossians 3:5  Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

 Romans 6:6   We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

 James 4:1   What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

 Romans 1:18   For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

 Ephesians 2:2-3   in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

 1 Peter 1:14   As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

“put to death” is very strong and suggests that we are not simply to suppress or control evil acts and attitudes. We are to wipe them out, completely exterminate the old way of life.” (Vaughan) The sins mentioned in Colossians are a minimal list of the way the world lives and not the way Christians should ever live. Every Christian is faced with a question: “Who will I identify with, the world or with Jesus?” Who will you live for, self and its passions or for honoring and glorifying Jesus? Who will your serve, self or Jesus? When our eyes get pulled away from being focused on humbly serving, obeying, following, trusting, and relying on Jesus Christ something else comes into focus.  If our hearts and minds had eyes, are they intently looking for more knowledge and understanding and godly wisdom to grow and mature in how we live our lives so that Jesus Christ will be honored and glorified? Paul is saying “put to death” our former earthly, worldly, and fleshly desires and passions.  Don’t give them a hidden room in your heart or mind.  Don’t give them a place to reside. Baptism symbolizes putting to death such desires and being washed clean of their stain and guilt. Put these desires and passions to death.  The problem is that we don’t always put them to death.  We may bury them deep but we have not put them to death. Somehow they are able to dig their way back up to the surface of our mind and bring to life these old ways of living. The importance of God’s Word in our lives is very instrumental in how the Holy Spirit will guide us in discerning worldly and fleshly passions and desires in our lives.  I wonder if we truly even want to know such things.  Do we actually think we can live two separate lives, one serving fleshly and worldly desires and the other living to honor and glorify Jesus Christ? This is not possible.  Man cannot serve two masters and yet this is exactly what we try to do all the time.  We neglect God’s Word and by doing so we open ourselves up to blindly walking down paths of earthly desires and passions, unable to recognize we are.  Putting to death these earthly desires and passions do not mean Satan will not try to resurrect them into our lives. He continually tries.  It is only when we are intentionally committed to living to honor and glorify Jesus Christ with heart and mind deep desire to grow in knowledge and understanding of His grace, mercy, and love that we will be guided through life, by the Holy Spirit, and be able to mature in discerning the difference between earthly and godly living.

28.k. “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead”

Philippians 3:13  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 Luke 9:62   Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 Hebrews 12:1-2    Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Just as a little child is a perfect human being, but still is far from perfect in all his development as man, so the true child of God is also perfect in all parts, although not yet perfect in all the stages of his development in faith.” (Muller)

When Spain led the world (in the 15th century), her coins reflected her national arrogance and were inscribed Ne Plus Ultra which meant “Nothing Further” – meaning that Spain was the ultimate in all the world. After the discovery of the New World, she realized that she was not the end of the world, so Spain changed the inscription on her coinage to Plus Ultra meaning “More Beyond.” In the same pattern, some Christian lives say, “Nothing Further” and others say “More Beyond.” Herein is the dilemma in the Christian’s life – “Nothing further” or “More beyond”.  Some will live as though there is no need for further growth.  They have obtained a level of satisfaction and comfort in their lives and see no need to actively pursue growth/maturity.  It is very shallow thinking that comes to the conclusion that “I am saved and going to heaven end of story”.  Too often this is where Christians land.  They take off with a thunderous thrust only to land softly and never take flight again.  It is in flight where we draw closer to Jesus Christ, and where we start to gain more understanding and knowledge of the mighty grace, mercy and love He showered on us.  In-flight is where we allow the Holy Spirit to control the speed and direction.  It is where we are a willing passenger as it were, trusting in the pilot.  While there might be the temptation to take control of the flight, it is by faith, trust, reliance, and obedience that we relinquish any thought of taking control.  If I look back let it be to remember the saving grace that brought me to redemption and salvation and all of the mighty works God has performed.

27.u. “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life”

 

Ephesians 4:20  But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 Romans 6:6   We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

 Titus 3:3   For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

You have been outside in the hot sun working all day, sweating, and getting dirty.  You have been invited to a friend’s house for a bbq with others.  After working all day you need a shower and good washing.  When you dry off you put on the same old sweaty, stinky, dirty clothes you have been in all day and head out the door to meet up with your friends.  This makes no sense, does it? It would be foolish to think that just because you have had a shower your clothes would be clean and appropriate to wear.  

Numerous scriptures tell us; “Put off your old self”, “Our old self was crucified”, “Put on the new self”.  Why would we put on the same dirty, foul, disobedient, passions, and pleasures after we have been washed clean from all of these? Why would we think these are ok to “wear”?  Jesus Christ died to cleanse us from all of this.  Paul is saying, “why would you take the cleansing and go back to doing the very things that needed cleansing?”  This makes no sense. 

Once we are cleansed we do well to honor and glorify our “Cleanser” Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has been given to every believer so that they can continue to grow in understanding and knowledge of the grace, mercy, and love that Jesus Christ poured out on us. When we desire this growth and seek it, we will not become complacent and neglectful in His Word, nor will we keep trying to put on our “Old Self”

26.x. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”

Galatians 6:14  But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

 Philippians 3:3   For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

 Philippians 3:7-11     But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

 Romans 6:6    We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

 Colossians 3:1-3    If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

 1 John 5:4-5   For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Paul’s heart cared nothing for the glory that came from fame. He cared nothing for the glory that came from riches. He cared nothing for the glory that came from status and power among men. He only cared about the glory of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote about having crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Now with the flesh on the cross he also put the world on the cross, and considers himself dead to the world. The world could not have any influence over Paul if it were dead, and Paul could not respond to any influence from it if he were dead to the world. The world, in the sense Paul means it here, was not the global earth; nor was it the mass of humanity (which God Himself loves, John 3:16). Instead, it was the community of sinful humanity that is united in rebellion against God. (Guzik) 

The battle between fleshly/worldly and things of God is very real.  Sometimes it becomes hard to bring these two differences into focus. The fleshly and worldly make promises it can not keep (purpose, satisfaction, power, wisdom, honor, glory, worthiness).  These are promises filled with deceit.  As soon as some portion is reached, it fades as fast as it came. It consumes time, both physically and mentally.  It will rob your heart, exhausting your soul, and fill you with emptiness.  It presents itself as our friend who wants to fill our minds with what it thinks is important.  It gains foundational roots in our hearts from the minute we were born into this world.  It hides exposure by subtle watering and fertilization of the lusts and wants of our sinful nature.  It produces worthless sour and bitter fruit that fills the heart and mind but never satisfies. It convinces the heart and mind that it is sweet as honey and you want/need more of it.  

The greatest gift from God was His grace, mercy, and love found in and through Jesus Christ.  He offers salvation, redemption, and forgiveness to those who would believe, trust, repent and obey.  In His mercy, grace, and love He offers life more abundantly, a purpose for the heavenly, and the power of the Holy Spirit to discern and fight off/resist the fleshly/worldly.   Without discernment, it is very hard to recognize what is worldly and of the flesh.  To have discernment requires you to know the difference between what you see, hear, think, say, and do.  How is a person discern whether or not what they see, hear, think, say, and do is fleshly/worldly or godly/heavenly.  Every waking moment the eyes and ears to our hearts, minds, and souls are blasted with the worldly and fleshly. These fiery darts come at us every second of every moment.  Everyone is targeted.  Not a second goes by where there is not an attack on your soul.  The problem is having the ability to discern them.  God’s Word is our shield against the onslaught of lies and deception of the worldly/fleshly.  Yet, how many are prepared for the battle for their soul?  How many Christians bring up the Shield of His Word on Sundays but live every other day without its defense?  How many fiery darts have punched the heart and soul and the person is not even aware they are seriously wounded? Do we expect God to give us discernment when we neglect His Word?  It is through His Word we find true, hope, peace, strength, joy, love, and purpose and satisfaction for our soul.  The lies, false hopes and promises, fear, anger, anxiousness, worries, and the shallowness of what the flesh and worldly have to offer are exposed. It is not the spending of time reading His Word, but rather this with a pure foundation of seeking and desiring things of God to honor and glorify Him alone. We will never find the Holy Spirit giving discernment when the heart and mind are set on things of the flesh and this world.  How can we say the desires and promises of this world are crucified to me when we can’t even discern the difference between what it offers and things of God?