Let us observe verse 12 in Colossians chapter 3:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Humbleness of Mind

We are told as a Christian to “put on” humbleness of mind. It takes humility to serve God. Humbleness of mind will lead us to apologizing to the one we may have offended.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

The enemy of souls works on pride. He doesn’t want us to be humble. Our home will be a peaceful home when there is humility in the home.

The scripture in Micah 6:8 asked, “What is good?” The answer is “to walk humbly with thy God”.

Here are other scriptures on humility to ponder:

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James 4:10

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 1 Peter 5:6

Forgiveness

It is important for us to be tender if we hurt somebody.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Matthew 11:24-25

We need to be careful with what we say to others. We need to also be sensitive to others’ sensitivities. We should be careful about holding on to things when we feel offended by someone who hurt us. If at all possible, we should carefully let that person know in a humble way in order to work through the hurt. It’s not good to hold on to something and not give it to God.

Charity

Charity is the bond of perfectness. We need to be willing to “put off” anything that will hinder God being able to mold us the way He desires. Love needs to work in our lives. God’s love is the bond of perfectness and without this love we won’t be what God wants us to be. Love is the glue that cements us to God and one another.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12

When we love one another God’s love is “perfected” in us.

But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.  There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Isaiah 57:20-21

Thank God there is peace in our hearts and lives.

Colosians 3:12 says that even though we are saved from sin and we have a relationship with God we must still “put on” some things.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Colosians 3:12

Let us look into putting on “bowels of mercy” and “bowels of kindness”.

Bowels of Mercy

When God saves us He gives us a desire to want to please Him.

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Hebrews 13:3

There is a song we sing that says, “When one has a heartache we all share the tears”. Saints of God have an empathetic spirit towards one another. A question we can ask ourselves is, “Can we empathize with what others are going through?”

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.  Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. Genesis 13:8-9

Abram in this verse is looking at what he can do so there is no strife against him and his new Lot.

Joseph also had to put on “bowels of mercy” when he was dealing with his brothers that sold him into slavery.

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. Genesis 50:19-21

Joseph had a good attitude and this is the kind of attitude we need to have as Christians.

Bowels of kindness

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Romans 12:9-10

A Christian will prefer others before himself. We must work on these things and we must understand that kindness may come easier on some than others. But if we work on putting on “bowels of kindness” God will help us. That’s why scripture says to “put on” bowels of mercy and kindness. He will mold us but we must be willing to let Him!

Colosians chapter 3 shows us that there is a responsibility in serving God. We must “put on” some things and “put off” some things. The most successful people who serve God are the ones that are obediant in doing what the bible says. We must work to keep ourselves “clean”.

Examine these scriptures in Colosians 3 and see if there is anything you must “put on” and if there is anything that must be “put off”.

By measuring to the scriptures we measure to God’s plan for our lives!

Colosians chapter 3 shows us that there is a responsibility in serving God. We must “put on” some things and “put off” some things. The most successful people who serve God are the ones that are obediant in doing what the bible says. We must work to keep ourselves “clean”.

Examine these scriptures in Colosians 3 and see if there is anything you must “put on” and if there is anything that must be “put off”.

By measuring to the scriptures we measure to God’s plan for our lives!

The bible clearly states that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” 1 John 4:4.

The enemy wants nothing more than to have us give up. But we are “more than conquerers” with God by our side.

God says for us to “be strong” and be willing to live this life in front of the world.

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Joshua 1:5-6

And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. Joshua 21:43-45

The conditions of having these promises of “spiritual rest from the enemy, being spiritual conquerers, being courageous, and having our spiritual enemies delivered into our hand” is we must “love the Lord your God”.

For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.  One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. Joshua 23:9-10

Question: Am I willing to honor God my whole life?

The condition is we have to “hearken to the voice of God”.

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: Deuteronomy 28:1

Promises God has for us:

• Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. 2 Chronicles 16:8


• The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Psalm 34:7


• He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4


• As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. Psalm 125:2


• For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Zachariah 2:5


• And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. Luke 21:16-18

God is our escape in times of trouble:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Psalm 119:37

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Proverbs 4:25

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Isaiah 33:15-16

The best way for us to deal with temptation is to put ourselves in situations where we won’t compromise our stand in serving God.

Examples of people who comprimised:

• Eve in the garden – We need to know the voice of God and the voice of the enemy. God won’t put us in compromising situations.

• Jacob and Esau – 

And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25: 29-34.

The enemy of souls tempted Esau to give in to his flesh. The enemy will come at us during trying times but we must recognize it and pray to God for help.

• Solomon lusted:

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 1 Kings 11:1-2

We must recognize when the enemy is working to tempt us and remove ourselves from the situation to keep our spirit right with God. Our marriage vow to Christ and to our spouse must not be compromised!

Solomon got carried away with lust and lost his relationship with God.

The devil is going to work on our covetousness.

Scripture says:

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

We need to be happy and thankful for what God has done for us.

The enemy can’t go against “what’s purposed in our heart“.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.  If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: Proverbs 1:10-15

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. Proverbs 4:14-15

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:13

Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (If we resist the devil he has to flee. But first we have to be under submission to God).

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 2 Peter 3:17 (This scripture tells us we can fall and we will fall if we are not determined to follow God all the way. But we can stay true, we can resist the devil, we can overcome temptation if we are determined to serve God).

Are we willing to serve God all the way? The answer to this question will determine how successful we are under temptation!

Foundation Scripture: 

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1Corinthians 10:13

To tempt: to entice, to insight to do wrong

The enemy of souls doesn’t want us to be saved, he wants strife, bitterness and hatred to work in our lives.

One of the ways the devil works is through temtation.

Satan is the chief agent of temptation. He uses lies to reason us to sin.

The closer to God we are the better able we are to handle temptation.

The devil attacks our weaknesses and we must know the voice of God and the voice of the enemy.

The way we can know who is speaking to us is if it lines up with the Word of God. If it doesn’t line up with the Word (bible) it is a lie.

The devil will come at us when we are weak, frustrated, discouraged, confused, depressed, etc.

Jesus was tempted when He was at His weakest point.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,  And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:1-11

The enemy went after Jesus’ flesh. God became Jesus’ defense – the Word. When the enemy comes we must “go to God”.

Scripture says,

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41

The devil wants us to sin and be weakened. He doesn’t want us to be holy, to not sin, but we have a stronger power and that power that overcomes temptation and the enemy is God.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17

Examples of “lust of the eyes”:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Genesis 13:10-13

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. Joshua 7:20-21

Scriptures talking about keeping our focus on God:

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Proverbs 4:25

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Psalm 119:37

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;  He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Isaiah 33:15-16

(Temptation study to be continued next week – next post)

Christian Parenting

Daily we need to be thankful for what God has done for us.

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8

And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. Exodus 14:10-12

 The old testament was a “shadow of things to come” and is a type of the New Testament, the time we live in today.

Egypt is a type of bondage – sin, Moses was a type of Christ, delivering God’s people from Egypt.

We need to be careful about “looking back” to our old life before Christ. People in sin like to present themselves as being “free from restrictions” , a carefree spirit. Scripture tells us the wicked are like grass that dries out over a period of time.

God knows what’s best for us and He brought us out of that old way of life which is crucial to have in remembrance if we are going to serve God faithfully.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. Exodus 14:13

What a good admonition we read here in scripture. When the devil attacks and we go through mind battles we need to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”.

God will fight for us!

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14

When we stand still and wait on God others will see it and know our faith.

and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. Exodus 14:25

Read all of Exodus 14

Question: How long did it take for the Israelites to forget all that God did for them?

We must not forget to praise God and remember what He did for us when He saved us from spiritual Egypt!

–  The words we use have a huge importance on whether our relationship is sound.

 1.  TItus 2:7-8

 –  We should be walking the talk.

–  We must make sure to not twist the truth.

 2.  Acts 4:15-21

 –  Speak with sound words so that the the world does not have anything evil to say about    us

 3.  James 3:2 

–  Thinking must happen before we open our mouths. We must be disciplined.

 4.  Ecclesiastes 10:12

 –  It’s best to use wisdom in the way we speak.

–  We’re going to improve ourselves when we want to improve. Therefore, we need to want to be wise with our words.

–  We cannot retaliate with our words, but be gracious with them.

 5.  Ecclesiastes 12:11

 –  Uplifting and encouraging words are the kind that we need to use.

 6.  Proverbs 25:11

 –  When is the last time you encouraged someone?

 7.  Isaiah 50:4

 – We need to watch the way we live and they way we speak.