Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
I would like thoughts on what this means to you.
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With all due respect Amanda; but I do not agree with this Mr. MacArthur’s analogy/ interpretation of this scripture. To me, this scripture is making a physical comparison to a spiritual truth. You are a great house in the sight of God, and in you there are things that are honorable and there are things that are not so honorable, or we could say are not acceptable or conducive to living a Christian life. If a man/woman would purge himself, or lay aside these things; the sins that so easily besets us. Heb.12:1, a person’s conscience then would not be defiled, and therefore would have more confidence in God. 1Jo.3:20-21, and could be used more easily of God, when we have sin, or things we think God is not pleased with in our behavior, we will feel that God can’t use us, this is a sin consciousness and (this is one of those vessels of dishonor, that we need to purge out) we feel so unworthy, we forget that our righteousness is of God,Isa.54:17, and not of ourselves, however God can use anything or anyone to minister to those He wishes. He used a donkey to talk to a prophet, I’m sure He could use a person, whether or not his conscience has been defiled. I have heard some say “God can’t use a dirty vessel” but what other vessels does He have to work with? We’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God. A person might take the scripture in Isa.54:14 to think he must live a sinless life, though we still have unfavorable actions in our walk with Him, our righteousness is still of Him and not of ourselves. To mature in the Lord is not being able to do all the exploits one might associate with being a mature Christian, “health, wealth and prosperity” but having the knowledge of God that we totally rely on Him and His promises without physical evidence, the only evidence the new creation requires is the Word of God. 2Pet.1:3-4, His Divine power has given to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…2Cor.9:8, God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
Blessing
JB
In this context, noble means not to be conformed to the patterns of this world. Thank you JB, I agree God can use someone as a bad example, I'm praying that's what I turn out not to be. I catch sinful thoughts coming up in my mind and grow impatient with my progress, So, Amanda, I'm definately not putting anyone down - I'm in no position to Judge. I'm just trying to find ways to serve the lord better all the time, I know it's a one step at a time process - It's just that these many years I would have thought I might be doing better now.
I catch sinful thoughts coming up in my mind and grow impatient with my progress
LOL That must be a theme for the growing Christian. I get so irritated that I even HAVE such a thought.
We really have no control over the thoughts that come up, but we can learn to manage those thoughts (take them captive instead of allowing them to keep us captive). However, as the mind becomes renewed more and more, the thoughts that come up will become more and more pure, or at least the impure thoughts will occur to a lesser and lesser degree. Since the mind is part of the soul, total renewal of it will happen when we see Jesus. Until then, God is renewing it in doses, in preparation for that moment, I believe.
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Well what I've struggled with is a sudden curse word ringing in my head that doesn't seem to go away. I'm miffed that it even came to mind. And I feel God tells me to ignore it. That it's staying on my mind because I'm focused on it being there and worrying on it, to just shrug it off as a passing thought. I'm trying to instead immediately replace it with saying God Bless or something so I refocus my attention elsewhere. Instead of obsessing on having had the thought in the first place.
We have little, if any, control over thoughts that pop into our heads which are often negative and sinful.
Yeah, and this is what God is trying to get me to see and not cringe and beat myself up when the thought comes...which is what I do. The thoughts bother me...terribly, and I want rid of them.
As I said earlier, I believe, as we mature spiritually, that the bad thoughts that pop up will occur to a lesser and lesser degree because of our minds being renewed.
And this too is what He was speaking to me this morning, that as I read the Word more and more, eventually, that will replace those thoughts over time, but to stop cringing and obsessing over the fact that they come, just ignore em.
The new age teaches that negative thinking is the problem and, sadly, this teaching has crept into the church.
You might get the same kick out of this that I got. LOL! This was something else I heard in my spirit this morning. You know I question the teachings my own church leaders hold to of speaking positive and God can't help you if you speak negative. God said to me this morning....who was believing He could create the earth in order to move Him to create it? ROFL!!!! That is soooooooooooo God! Hahahahah
JB,
It sounds like you are saying we need to "purge out" our awareness of sin instead of the sins themselves. There is a difference between being reminded of past forgiven sins and being convicted of present sins. I am aware of the teaching which says sin consciousness is having an evil conscience.
We are not under condemnation anymore when we are born again. We are holy and righteous and nothing we do or don't do is going to make us more and more holy and righteous. However, God asks us to willingly walk in the holiness and righteousness that we have in Christ. Willingly is a key word here, and God will use willing vessels.
Yes, God will sometimes go against the will of a man, like Jonah, who ran from God and was unwilling, and still use that man. But, for the most part, God is more glorified by using willing vessels.
The disagreement that you and I are having appears to be on how a person becomes a willing vessel. I'm not of the belief that transformation will come to me simply through rote memorization of the Scriptures. It comes as a supernatural work of God. Memorizing the word isn't the same as knowing and understanding it.
As far as wiping sin from our conscious awareness, for me to believe that God wants me to do this, I would have to wipe out many passages of Scriptures, such as 1 Timothy 5:
20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. (ESV)
Additionally, as we look at Jonah, who most definitely was unwilling and in rebellion, we also see that God used him to do something that wasn't really considered a noble purpose -- taking the gospel to the worst of people who were also Israel's most dreaded enemy! No one wanted God to bless Nineveh. I'm sure this was a very great blow to Jonah's ego. He ran, didn't he? But no one is beyond being saved, not even our worst enemies.
Honor and dishonor therefore refer to the ways in which genuine believers are found useful to the Lord in fulfilling the work to which He has called them. In this sense, all believers should be, but are not always, vessels of honor. (MacArthur, J. 2 Timothy. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)
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