Bible study – Page 3 – Hope for Complete Healing

How to Find and Stay on the Path of Life

What is the path of life? How do we get on the path of life? Jesus said in His first sermon, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14). Why is the gate narrow and the way hard that leads to life? Why would anyone want to walk the path of life if it is hard? Everyone is invited to enter the narrow gate and walk the hard path of life with Christ, but few want to because it requires living a holy life according to the Golden rule (Matt. 7:12). Hebrews 12:14 explains, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Living righteously and treating others as you want to be treated is hard in a world ruled by wickedness and self-centered pride. The evil one lures us to walk his wide and easy path of destruction, which is self-centered living that leads to eternal death and separation from God. A person who unwisely is offended will take the path of destruction until they forgive the offense.

What is the Path of Life and How Do We Find the Narrow Gate?

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus died on the cross to set us free from the control of sin and save us from the wrath of God because of our sin. Sinners are those who disobey God’s command to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love their neighbor as themselves (Luke 10:27). Read my previous post on the Golden Rule.

God is holy and perfect, and He hates sin and must punish disobedience. But He loves us and sent His only son, Jesus, to take our punishment and to cleanse our sinful nature. He promises to forgive you of all your sins and remove all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). Unrighteousness is not doing what is right in God’s eyes. To follow Jesus requires perseverance and dedication to live a life worthy of Him (Col . 1:10).

Believing in Jesus leads to the path of life and ultimately eternal life (John 3:16). Believing is finding the narrow gate, walking the path of life is where people fail. Some mistakenly think that if they just believe, it is enough to keep them out of the lake of fire. The devil believes in Jesus and that He is the son of God, yet he is destined for the lake of fire. Some mistakenly believe that grace covers all our sins, and we don’t need to repent or put off our sinful behavior and put on a new life that resembles Jesus’s holy life.

Who is on the Path of Life?

When we find the narrow gate and believe Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of the world, we need to go through the narrow gate and walk in love as Jesus did. Jesus says that we need to strive to enter the narrow gate (Luke 13:24). Hebrews 12:14 says we are to “Strive to live in peace with everyone,” which is an example of holy living. Striving takes an effort on our part. The effort is putting off our old life of sin (self-centered pride) and putting on the new life, “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Also, 1Thessalonians 4:7-8 states, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. ⁸Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

So, what are we to discard? Colossians 3:5-10 tells us to, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

Many people in the church have not put on a new life of righteousness and holiness. Dare I say, going to church is not entering the narrow gate. Choosing to heed God’s calling and be a disciple of Jesus is the narrow gate. The path of life is hard because it is the path of love. Loving those who sin against you and forgiving them is hard to do. Being kind to your enemy is hard. Praying for those who persecute you is hard. Trusting Jesus to meet your needs is hard. Giving to the poor and ungrateful is hard. Giving up your old sinful ways and friends is hard. But those who obey God are wise (Matt. 7:24). Wise people will strive to stay on the path of life that leads to eternal life.

What happens when the gate is closed?

Luke records the following exchange with Jesus in Luke 13:23-28, “And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ²⁴“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

²⁵When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

²⁶Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’

²⁸In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

This passage is sobering. Why does God close the door? The first thought that comes to my mind as I pray for God’s answer is the door is closed when Jesus returns to rule. The opportunity to enter the narrow gate is ended. Many Christian people who believed in Jesus but did not submit their lives to Him and continued living a sinful life will be left behind. They will realize they are not on the path of life. You may have been a Sunday school teacher or a deacon in your church. If you have not entered the narrow door/gate yet, don’t wait, because the next moment may be too late.

Conclusion

The golden rule explains why the path of life is hard and few find it. We must strive to enter the narrow gate and live in peace with all men (Rom. 12:18). Those who do not put off their sinful desires and put on the holy life are still on the path of destruction. Follow Jesus to the gate and stay yoked to Him as you walk the hard path of love (Matt. 11:29-30).

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family; hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

Check out my latest book Breaking Mental Strongholds, which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

How Does a Wise Person Treat Other People?

Have you heard about the Golden Rule? Where did you learn about the Golden Rule? Did you know that Jesus Christ is the original author? He said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12). First is the principle of doing to others what you would want them to do to you. The second principle is the Law and the Prophets.

The golden rule seems so simple, and I wasn’t going to write a blog because it is common sense, but after writing a blog about the following two verses, I understood why Jesus gave this command. To understand the next two verses, you need to understand the golden rule.

Why is this command golden? Take a moment to quiet your mind, then imagine a world where everyone treats everyone around them as they would want to be treated.

We will treat other people as having worth.
Everyone will be respectful, kind, patient, and gentle.
People will show grace and forgive others for offenses.
We all live in peace with everyone else.
No one is arrogant.
People won’t keep a record of wrongs.

How many marriages, families, and communities would be transformed if they would follow this rule? The problem is that we have a sinful nature that is prideful and self-centered. I explain the damaging effects of pride on relationships in HOW PRIDE DESTROYS.

What is The Law and the Prophets?

What is the law and the prophets? This exact phrase can be found in four other verses: Matthew 22:40, Luke 16:16, Acts 13:15, and Romans 3:21. The law was given to Moses by God when the Israelites were in the desert. God’s law governed their behavior, much like our laws govern our behavior. The laws God gave were to lead the people to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as themselves. The Pharisees added burdensome legalistic laws of dos and don’ts that had nothing to do with love.

Prophets are God’s messengers to warn people to repent when they forget God’s laws and disobey Him. The following is another example of the law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:35-40.

³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

³⁷And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The following verses explain how love fulfills the law.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13:8

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. – Romans13:10

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:14

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. – James 2:8

Conclusion

The golden rule is the same as loving your neighbor as yourself. Read my post about this called Diminish the “Self-centered” Belief to Expand Goodness (Other-centered). How amazing it is to obey God’s command to love others as ourselves. Do you love other people as yourself or do you have any hate for someone who hurt you?

Related posts

Wise People Love Those Who Hate Them

How to Dig up the Unforgiving Belief to Grow in Love

Hope for Lasting Peace, Love, and Victory

Love From a Pure Heart

A Wise Person Knows When to Ask

Have you prayed and asked God for something but He did not grant your request? Many people become offended and angry at God for unanswered prayer. So why does God promise to give us what we ask? I wrote a series of posts on God’s promises and learned that most promises come with a condition. I also wrote a series of posts on why God may not answer our prayers the way we want Him to. So, I will refer you to that series of posts for increased understanding.

Jesus said we should ask, seek, and knock.

Jesus spoke the following in His first sermon in Matthew 7:7-11, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. The condition is we must ask, seek, and knock. This verse follows the verses on judging, which I wrote about in the last post. So, if you ask God to show you the plank in your eye, He will show you. If you seek Him for wisdom to know when to judge and when not to judge, you will receive wisdom. If you knock on the right doors to open opportunities for ministry to others, He will open opportunities. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. When does God not give us what we ask and seek Him for? James 4:3 states, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

Jesus wants to give us good gifts.

Jesus compares His desire to give us good gifts to our earthly fathers. ⁹Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” The condition is having God as your heavenly Father. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and took your punishment for your sins so you can be forgiven and saved from God’s wrath on sin? Did you ask for forgiveness and freedom from sin’s control by seeking Jesus as the Lord of your life? If you answered yes, then God is your heavenly Father, and you are a joint heir with Jesus.

Luke clarifies the good gift as the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:13. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Jesus says the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” So, when you receive the Holy Spirit you will discern the truth about people, yourself, and circumstances.

Good gifts God has given me.

I needed a spinet piano for my living room because my son was taking piano lessons. I did not have any money to buy one. I asked God to provide one. The next day, I turned on the radio, which I rarely did, and heard the Care and Share announcement. Someone was giving away a spinet piano, we just had to pick it up. Coincidence? I don’t think so. We then gifted it to our youth pastor’s wife.

Another answer to prayer was for a Rhode Island chicken. A raccoon was eating my chickens, and I was very upset. We caught the coon, but I was missing chickens. It was late in the season to get more chicks, so I ask God for a Rhode Island chicken. The next morning, I went to my garden to see what I needed to harvest that day, and I heard clucking. I looked around and there was a Rhode Island pullet in my fenced-in garden. I did not know why she was there, other than it was a gift from God.

I could tell you many other times God answered prayers. I wrote a post about miracles I experienced that you might find interesting called Trust God to Keep His Promises

RELATED POSTS

POSTS about God’s Promises

Posts about Prayer

The Wise Person Carefully Judges

Jesus’s first sermon is broken up into three chapters, and it is tempting to make the chapter break into different sermons even though it is one sermon. In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus warns us not to judge based on what He previously said. Read the previous posts on Jesus’s first sermon to refresh your memory. Passing judgment on someone is expressing a critical opinion based on a limited understanding of the other person’s perspective. We must remember that all believers are in the process of renewing their minds to walk like Jesus. Some are further along than others, so let us show grace to those who do not have the same level of obedience. As born-again believers, we are all holy and set apart for God, but we are all at different stages of sanctification, so we should be careful how we judge another person’s actions and instead be encouraging. Spouses are guilty of judging each other when they become offended by what the other person says or does that they dislike. Be kind and patient, and do not judge in arrogance.

How much do you want to be judged?

Jesus teaches us to not judge hastily but carefully. Matthew 7:1-2 states, “Judge not, that you be not judged. ²For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Take a moment and ponder what Jesus means by “with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” It sounds like we will reap what we sow. When I am around someone who judges people, I feel like I need to defend the person being judged. Then I think, why are they judging others? Could that person have childhood insecurities, are they prideful, do they want to gossip, or are they truly offended and need to talk to the person who has offended them instead of judging them?

Also, in Luke 6:37-38 Jesus further explains, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

The Hypocrite Passes Judgment

Jesus continues His sermon in Matthew 7:3-5, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” A speck is barely noticeable unless you are looking for it.

The person who passes judgment on minor offenses in others and tells them about it but does not consider their own offensive ways is a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone who thinks they are righteous but can’t see their own sin. Romans 2:1 explains, “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.” I have observed that people judge others for the very same issues in themselves.

Before you judge someone, ask God to show you, if you have the same problem then offer the same grace you would want to receive. Seeing our offensive ways requires us to humbly ask God to search our hearts and minds (Jer. 17:10). Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” And Psalm 139:23-24 explains, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! ²⁴And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

When is it necessary to judge?

In 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, the Apostle Paul says, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹²For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? ¹³God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” For example, my husband and I were friends with a couple who said they were Christians but were in sexual sin. I felt very uncomfortable associating with them because of these verses. We spoke to them about getting married, but they were both clear they did not want to marry. They continued to attend our church. Eventually, they broke up, but neither one submitted their lives to God and continued in sexual sin with other people. In the passage above, the Apostle Paul is saying to “purge the evil person from among you.” Why do you think he said this? Yet most churches do not do that. I would like to know your thoughts.

My husband and I had another instance when we needed to judge a brother in our Christian group. We asked a Christian brother who had a tree-cutting business to cut down some trees for us, which he did, and we paid him. He tried to swindle a significant amount of money from us by falsely billing us for other work that he clearly did not do. Then he went around telling others we did him wrong. We had to judge him as a swindler and a liar. When we presented our case and the truth before the leadership, he backed off. We forgave him, but then we had nothing to do with him, though the leadership continued to befriend him. God removed him from the fellowship by sending him to jail because his evil heart led him to commit a crime. Evil men need to be removed from the church because they cause corruption within the church.

In the next verse, Jesus is telling us when we should judge those outside the church. Matthew 7:6 states, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” The words of God are holy, so when we speak to people about Him, and they curse the words of God, they are the dogs. Pearls are God’s truths, so when you present God’s truths to someone, and they despise their value and trash all that God calls good and say it is evil, they are pigs. These are profane and corrupt people who need Jesus but are clearly antagonistic toward the truths of God. If they begin to attack and abuse you, you need to get away quickly.

Conclusion

Judging is complex but it is always better to give grace and encourage others to love and do good deeds (Heb. 10:24) . Proverbs 24:23 states, “These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality [bias; prejudice] in judging is not good.” No need to elaborate. We have all been wrongly judged in one way or another by others who disagree with our decisions based on their bias. Conversely, we have judged others based on our biases and beliefs. Instead, we should patiently show grace and gently correct those who are in opposition.

Someone will say, “What if the other person is clearly in sin according to Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Yes, gently and lovingly warn those who are clearly sinning and pray they come to repentance. James 5:19-20 says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

May God Bless this word and give us all understanding that we would obey it.

Prison Report 9 – The Holy Spirit’s Role

We had five girls this past Friday. If the Holy Spirit reminds you about this prison Bible study on Friday nights, please pray for me and Sandy, my co-teacher. Please pray for all prison ministries throughout the world, that God would “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me [Jesus]” Acts 26:18.

Please pray for Shaina, she was a drug runner to Philadelphia and faces State time. Her boyfriend died of an overdose. Then she tried to overdose on Fentanyl but survived. She realizes God saved her for a purpose. She has three children and cries herself to sleep over her many losses. She is growing in her faith but needs your prayers. Theresa has been very faithful in attending the Bible Study but is now legally blind because of cataracts. Another girl, Tiffany, returned from State prison for a hearing. She was so glad she came to the Bible Study because she really needed to know how the Holy Spirit helps her. The following is my Bible study. I only completed points one and two. The ladies were so grateful to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Friday, July 21, 2023

The only way we can be victorious over addiction or bad habits is to rely on the Holy Spirit, who gives us power and will lead us on the right path. Only He can keep us on the narrow path that leads to life. We cannot do it on our own or by willpower. But, when you cease to abide in Jesus and the Word of God, then temptations will lead you astray to the path that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14; look up and read). Remember, James 4:7 (look up and read). If you do not submit your thoughts to God’s truths every moment, especially when you are tempted, then the devil will lead you away from the path of life. So, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in your life?

I shared my testimony of how the Holy Spirit helped and protected me when I got involved with the wrong group of people and dated a bad character who led me down the path of destruction. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin and kept reminding me of the truths that I learned as a child. I stayed in the party scene until my third year of college. A Christian friend invited me to go to a Christian Campus group and a local church, but I was still partying. During a Christian concert, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Either walk with me or don’t, stop walking the fence.” I made the decision that night to submit to God and walk with Him. After that, I found going out with my party friends very distasteful, and I found joy and peace in following Jesus. I struggled with my faith for a time, but the Holy Spirit encouraged me.

The following is my outline and questions on the role of the Holy Spirit. I hope you are encouraged.

1. The Holy Spirit is our helper.

John 14:26; “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

John 15:26; “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

___ How do you receive someone’s help?

___ When someone teaches you something, what do you do with what you learn?

___ Why can’t a prideful person receive help?

The Holy Spirit helps you pray.

___ What is prayer?

___ How often should we pray?

___ Why do you pray?

Rom 8:26-27 states, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷And he [God] who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

___ What weakness do you need the Holy Spirit to help you with?

___ Is God’s will always what your will is? Whose will is better?

Eph 6:18-20 states, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

___ How do you pray all the time in the Spirit?

___ How do we keep alert in prayer?

___ Why should we pray at all times?

1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful [stay in prayer]. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.⁹Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

He will lead you and tell you what to do or say.

Act 13:2 states, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Act 16:6 states, “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.”

2 Peter 1:21 states, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

___ How do you know when the Holy Spirit is speaking to you? (I shared the various times the Holy Spirit spoke to me and lead me to go places and to do something.)

2. The Holy Spirit gives you power.

Act 1:8 states, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

____ How do you know you have power?

___ What does it mean to be a witness?

Act 10:38 states, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Jesus was fully human, and I believe the anointing happened when the Holy Spirit descended on Him when He was baptized. I explained how God wants to heal them from the oppression of the devil.)

Romans 15:13 states, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

___ Why does the power of the Holy Spirit give you hope?

Next week, we will cover the next two roles of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit renews us.

Titus 3:3-7; 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.

⁴But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

4. He helps you put off your old life and put on the new life: Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:5-15;2Cor 5:17; 2Cor 7:1.

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 states, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. ⁸Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

Your old life of sin is full of destructive pain and guilt. Ask God to expose the sinful actions that hurt others or yourself, seek His forgiveness, and ask God to remove your guilt and the oppressive spirits from that memory and heal your emotions. Ask God to remove pridefulness so you can humbly seek forgiveness to help them be free from the pain you caused them. If you are angry or anxious, seek God to show you why. Then forgive those who betrayed you and ask God to heal your heart and remove the oppressive spirits attached to the resentment that controls your thoughts and emotions. God wants to purify you and heal your memories so you can put off your life of sin and put on a new life of righteousness, love, joy, and peace.

To read my other Prison Ministry Reports.

Why the Wise People Are Not Anxious

In Jesus’s first sermon, He goes into great detail explaining why we should not be anxious. So why are we naturally anxious and worried? Jesus says it is because we don’t have enough faith. Remember, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). George Muller, the German missionary to England during the black plague, showed great faith in God’s provision. He started orphanages to take care of all the children whose parents died during the plague. Then he prayed and believed that God would provide food and necessities for the orphanages, and He did. This is an encouraging testimony; I recommend everyone read his story. All the missionary stories involve faith in God and how God came through for them.

The Wise Knows God Cares.

I must admit that I have a stock of food and necessities in the event of a disaster, or another quarantine like during Covid. So, having at least three months of food and water to get through an unforeseen disaster is wise. But we should not be consumed with worry about a disaster that may never happen. Dictionary.com (2023) says that being anxious is being full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune, or greatly worried. Jesus explains in Matthew 6:25-26, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Jesus does not want us to be anxious but trust that He is our provider. To build your faith, read in the book of Deuteronomy about how God provided everything for one million people for forty years, plus their clothing and sandals did not wear out.

This concept is hard because it defies our fleshly nature to not trust God. We work so we can buy food and clothing and keep a roof over our heads. What does Jesus mean when He says, “Is not life more than food?” Maybe we should be more concerned about living our lives for our heavenly Father and not be mentally consumed with our daily or future necessities. ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Jesus is saying, our heavenly Father will provide what we need because He cares for us. Does this mean we don’t have to work? No, the Bible says, if we don’t work then we should not eat (2Thes. 3:10). I am pondering what Jesus possibly means, and I don’t really know. Maybe we are to trust our heavenly Father for everything, even what we need in the future, knowing He cares for us even more than the birds. This principle goes beyond food and clothing. One time, I needed a cheap place to live with my two toddlers, because I had no actual job and just started an alterations business. I trusted God to provide, and He did a miracle. Read my story in the post called Trust God to Keep His Promises.

The Wise Have Faith

Jesus further explains in Matthew 6:27-32 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Anxiety and worry cause stress in our bodies, which weakens it. Read this article to learn how. We need to keep in mind that in Jesus’s time, they did not have shopping centers and grocery stores everywhere or clothing factories, so this was a legitimate concern. We may not worry about not having clothing, but we may worry about other things, like our family, finances, jobs, and so on.

²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

God is all-knowing and all-powerful, so why don’t we trust Him to provide what we need, now and in the future? The answer is that we are sinful and would rather trust in worldly institutions, even ourselves and others, to meet our needs. The remedy is to stay in constant prayer and expectation of how our heavenly Father will meet our needs. Philippians 4:19 states, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” And the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”

The Wise Are Kingdom Minded

Jesus says in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Seek means to look for. The kingdom of God is an actual place and a place where our faith dwells. Romans 14:17 states, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” We must first look for God’s presence and purpose in our lives. I wrote a post about this. Read, How do you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?

Conclusion

The Apostle Paul told the Philippian church in Philippians 4:6-7,“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So never be anxious, stay in constant prayer and expectation and you will live in peace.

Other posts on the Sermon on the mount.

Posts about God’s promises.

The Wise Prioritize Riches

Do you have a goal to build up wealth to live a comfortable life or retire comfortably? But did you ever think about how temporary life is on Earth and how never-ending eternity is? Yet, we are so focused on our temporary physical comfort, that we forget about reality. We need to transform our temporary thinking and remind ourselves that we are eternal beings created to serve God and buildup treasure for our eternal life. As I pray and meditate on this next part of Jesus’s sermon, I see so much I can write, but I will stick with two truths. One, there is heaven and hell. Two, only those who believe Jesus is the son of God and abide in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16; 6:40; 17:3; Rom. 6:23).

Why Must We Be Eternally Minded?

If you are a believer, then you will be eternally minded. Some of us forget and focus on worldly pleasures and idolatry. Colossians 3:1-2 states, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Ephesians 2:6 says we have been raised with Christ and are seated in the heavenly places. Praise the Lord! Yet, we forget, so remind someone of this fact. I also want to remind you that we are citizens of heaven right now (Philippians 3:20).

With these truths in mind, let us read our text from Jesus’ first sermon in Matthew 6:19-24.

¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The gospels record a story where Jesus responds to a rich man who wanted to know how to have eternal life (Matt. 19:16-23, Mark 10:17-25, and Luke 18:18-25). In Luke 18:22, Jesus told him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Luke goes on to say in verses 23-24, “But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ‘How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’” Having wealth is not bad but good. Realize your wealth is not yours but God’s because He has blessed you and given you the ability to get wealth (Deut. 8:18). So how are you investing His money to increase His kingdom? Read my last post to learn why Jesus wants us to give to the poor.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself, where is my focus? Be honest, do you value your possessions more than God and people? If God asked you to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, could you? Some people say that money is evil and causes us to turn to evil. Not true unless you love money more than God. The Bible says in 1Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

How do you know if your heart seeks the pleasures of the world, or desires to please God? Does your heart want others to recognize and value you, or do you want God to get the glory? Do you find your security in what you have in the bank or in your investment portfolio? Wealth can be an idol that you are trusting in instead of God. You can know where your heart is by the things you think about most.

Are You Spiritual Healthy?

If you can’t understand how to lay up your treasures in heaven, then ask God to open your spiritual eyes to understand this truth. Some people are prideful about what they have, even poor people, which blinds them. You may have a spirit of pride that must be put off to remove the darkness of your heart. You can read more about pride in my post called, How Pride Destroys. Jesus teaches about spiritual health and seeing spiritually in Matthew 6:22-24.

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Why does Jesus say that we cannot serve God and money? How do we serve money? Do you allow God to control how you spend your money, or do you spend it on yourself and worldly pleasures? If a person is not submitted to God and does not love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, or love others, they cannot serve God. If a person is wise, then they will prioritize their wealth that pleases God, and they will invest in a heavenly treasure to help grow the kingdom of God. Does this sound right to you? Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

I do not see a biblical issue with setting up a budget and allowing some of your wealth to be used for entertainment, eating out, going on trips, and so on. King Solomon wrote much about the toil of work, and how we are to enjoy the work of our hands. Ecclesiastics 2:24-25 states, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, ²⁵for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” Also, see Eccl. 3:13; 5:15, 18-19; 8:15.

In summary, serve God, not money. Build up your treasure in heaven, not on earth. Do not focus on getting rich and become spiritually blind.

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Can You Be Too Heavenly Minded?

Prison Report 8–Faith, Hope, and Love

I need your help with my lesson on faith. We are seeing growth and understanding in the consistent Bible Study participants. Sandy taught last week about God’s love: acceptance, security, identity, and purpose. She emphasized the loving father in the Prodigal Son parable (Luke 15) and his true identity, security, and purpose. Despite the young son squandering his inheritance, the father loved and restored him. Just as the Father put on the robe of identity on him, Jesus puts a robe of righteousness on us, which is our identity. Sandy emphasized that the children in God’s kingdom are righteous because they have the entirety of the Holy Spirit sealed within them. We just need to renew our minds to let God move us to who He created us to be.

I am teaching this Friday about faith, hope, and love. Faith is a hard topic, so I would like to know your understanding and how to teach faith to these precious women. Please pray for Theresa, Shiana, and Hannah (who does not know the Lord). Yumyum was released to a mental hospital, MJ is still in the hole for her anger; please pray for her; she loves the Lord but struggles with retaliation from the hurt in her past. There is no guarantee that I will teach this lesson this Friday because if new girls attend, we address their issues and where they are in their walk or no walk with God. I may only be able to do half the lesson depending on issues the girls bring up.

Faith, Hope, and Love

We have hope when we trust God keeps His promises, which increases our faith when we believe in biblical truth. By faith, we receive God’s love and show His love to others.

1 Timothy 1:5 states, “The aim [goal] of our charge [instructions] is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

Ephesians 6:23 states, “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Define faith. (Read Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”) We have the assurance of salvation through believing in Jesus Christ as the son of God and the conviction that our sins are forgiven through the death and blood of Jesus Christ. So now we can hope for eternal life with God.

Define hope. Romans 8:24-25 states, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Some promises you can hope for are found in Jeremiah 29:11-13, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” You may not see the good plan God has for you, but when you put your trust in God and seek Him with all your heart, you will see it. Most promises come with a condition. For example, the promise is that God will hear us, but what is the condition?

What are the promises in these three verses?

Hope comes from reading God’s Word and trusting that God will do what He said He would do. Romans 15:4 states, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” We increase in hope when we learn the truths in God’s Word, and read the Bible every day with endurance (persistence), then the Scriptures will encourage us to believe. There will be days you feel you are too busy to read your Bible, but I say with confidence that you will be glad you persist to read your Bible every morning. Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

(Look at a picture of the grapevine.) Faith is a seed that is only seen when it begins to grow above the soil.

If you put a seed in a pot without soil, will it grow?

Do you see the seed in the soil?

Can you see the roots? Does this mean they do not exist?

Where do we get faith? Read Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Why do we need to have faith? Read Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

What does faith do for us? Read Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” 1Peter 1:9 “Obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Ephesians 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

Who is the evil one?

What kind of darts does he fling at us?

What does he hope the darts do in our lives?

Why does faith protect us?

Faith is believing in the existence of God when you do not see Him. And believe God will keep His promises, even when you don’t know how.

When you believe, the seed of faith is planted in your heart. Faith grows as we remain or abide in the Word of God daily, which is the soil that provides nutrients so our faith grows. Also, when you persist in believing the truth that God loves you, it will grow in your heart.

Briefly review Sandy’s lesson on the types of soils (Matt. 13:18-23). Faith won’t grow well in rocky soil or weedy, thorny soil.

The roots of our faith will not get a firm hold in rocky soil. Forgiving past and present hurts removes the rocks that stunt the growth of faith, love, joy, peace, and so on. Jesus instructs us to forgive in Matthew 6:14-15.

Removing worldly distractions, worries (outside our control), and selfish desires from your life will uproot the weeds and thorns, so your faith and God’s love get all the nutrients from God’s Word (soil) of your heart. Ask God to give us His ability to be patient and kind, and so on.

For faith to grow and produce fruit, it needs five elements:

1. Good Soil: Faith is planted in our hearts when we believe Jesus is the Son of God (Eph 3:16-17). Seeds need good soil (no rocks, clay, or weeds) to grow in (Matt. 13:18-23). Next, it needs to be rooted and grounded in love as we forgive those who sin against us (Matt 6:14-15).

2. Water: Faith stays alive when watered by prayer because Jesus is our source of living water (John 4:10).

3. Light: Faith produces a harvest of fruit when it gets the light of Jesus as we live through Him (John 8:12 & Gal.2:20). Because of the light of Jesus in us, we can be a light to others and plant seeds of faith when we witness and tell others about our faith or water someone else’s faith to help their faith grow (Matt. 5:16; John 12:46; and Acts 13:47).

4. Cultivation: Faith grows when cared for by daily reading and obeying the living Word of God (1Peter 1:23 and Hebrews 4:12).

5. Protection: Faith gets stronger when we obey God, go to church, and encourage one another (Jam. 1:19-27 and Heb. 10:23-25). We will die spiritually if we do not remain in the soil of God’s love, receive nourishment from the living Word of God, get living water from Jesus through prayer, and receive; light from Jesus’ life). Why is this true?

If you stay nourished by God’s Word and watered by prayer every day, your faith will grow and produce fruit through the Holy Spirit. John 15:4-5 states, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

If a plant is taken out of the soil, will it grow and thrive? Why not?

If you don’t water a plant, what will happen to it? Why?

If you put the plant in a closet, what will happen then?

What does abide mean?

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what fruit will grow when we abide in Him through His Word.

Love (1Cor. 13:4-6),
Joy (John 17:13 & 15:11),
Peace (Rom 12:18 & Phil 4:6-7),
Patience (Col 3:12-13 & Eph 4:2),
Kindness (2Tim. 2:24 & Eph 4:32),
Goodness (Rom. 2:10 & 15:2),
Faithfulness-Trust (Ps. 37:3 & Luke 16:10),
Gentleness-Humility (1Tim 6:11 & 1Peter 3:5), and
Self-control (Titus 2:12).

Love and Faith

1Co 16:13-14 states, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, …, be strong. ¹⁴Let all that you do be done in love.”

1Cor. 13:13 states, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

1John 4:12-13 states, “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” And verses 16 says, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” There is the abiding word again.

Jesus tells us in John 15:10, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” Psalm 119:10-11 says, “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! ¹¹I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Define love. (Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

How do you usually react when you don’t get your way?

Are you being selfish or loving?

How can you be loving when you don’t get your way?

How do you think other people feel when you yell at them or hurt them?

Every day, we need to pray and ask God to help us love, be patient, and be kind because we are all naturally self-centered. Abiding in God’s Word every day and putting off unloving thoughts, feelings, and deeds, will help you grow in love.

Please leave a comment on how you would help inmates understand faith.

Check out my latest book Breaking Mental Strongholds which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

The Wise Person Helps the Poor

The goal of my blog is to help you recognize unhealthy beliefs or non-biblical thinking that keeps you from receiving God’s blessing in your life. The last two posts challenged me to evaluate how I think about the poor in my community. One struggling single mother in my church always seemed down on her luck. A woman in my church didn’t feel she deserved her help and didn’t feel compassion for her. I pondered that comment and told her that God would want us to help her.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Mercy is giving something to someone who may not deserve it, or we don’t think deserve it. We do not deserve the kingdom of heaven, yet Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit [humble], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” People interpret this verse in many ways, but God wants everyone to humbly see their need for Him and seek His help and salvation. It is not for us to judge why someone is poor and how they could make better decisions.

I was one of those poor when I was a child because of poor decisions my father made, and when I became a single mother because of my husband’s decision to divorce. It was very humbling to receive help from others, yet I was thankful. I had to wear hand-me-down clothes that were not the latest style, yet I was clothed, and it was okay. My children wore hand-me-down clothes and what I could find at yard sales. The church helped me with grocery gift cards, so thankful. As a single mother, I claimed Philippians 4:19 and trusted God to provide all that I was in need of, and He provided all the finances I needed each month. He did a miracle and provided a mortgage for me to buy a fixer-upper home for me and my children when the only job I had was a small seamstress business. When my kids started elementary school, I became a substitute teacher to help make ends meet. God is good.

In the last post, we learned in Isaiah 58:6-7 that true fasting was having a heart of compassion for the oppressed. Verse 6 says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Fasting is seeking freedom from the control of sinful actions and thoughts in our lives.) ^7”Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” Many of us have no problem giving food to the hungry or clothing to those in need, but many of us resist the command to “bring the homeless poor into your house.”

Some people say well, the culture was different in 800 BC when Isaiah wrote those words. It may have been safe to bring the homeless into their home, besides, they became servants. You may think, the homeless can receive a housing allowance to help with renting a place to stay. It is true that the homeless poor in 800 BC most likely was NOT violent, addicted to drugs, alcohol, or mentally ill. God knew there would be a homeless problem because some people lack the spiritual, mental, and financial means to care for themselves. The Bible also says we are to be wise and obey God, so pray and ask Him to help you know His will and wisely do His will concerning the homeless. It may not be wise to bring a homeless person into your home. We all have heard horror stories. One man I know is in jail because he had compassion and brought a homeless man into his home, who then molested his daughters and one of them got pregnant. So sad, but a reality.

I find it hard to help those I think could help themselves, who seek others to care for them. God does not differentiate who deserves His help and who does not. We are all poor compared to God, and we all need His help and blessing. As His image bearers, we are to do the same to other poor souls regardless of why they are poor or even if they choose to be poor for whatever reason. We know the government does not lift anyone out of poverty but keeps them in bondage. Only God can lift us out of poverty and provide all we need according to His riches (Phil 4:19).

How should we treat the poor immigrants flooding our country? They are looking for a better life, so how can we help them? And they are ripe to hear and receive the Gospel of Jesus. This is not the time to shun the incoming immigrants. Ask yourself, “What if I was an immigrant or poor, how would I want people to help me?”

James 2:13 states, “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” God wants us to show compassion and mercy. This post is my reflection on God’s view of the poor and how we should think. Take your time as you read each passage to understand the heart of God towards the poor.

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ –Deuteronomy 15:11

Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. –Deuteronomy 15:9

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” –Leviticus 23:22

Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. –Proverbs 14:21

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. —Proverbs 14:31

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. –Proverbs 19:17

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. -–-Proverbs 21:13

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. –Proverbs 22:9

Conclusion

We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. The poor are our neighbors. James 2:8-9 exhorts us, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” Also, James 4:17 states, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

You may say, “But the Word of God also says in” 2Thesalonians 3:10-12, “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. ¹¹For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. ¹²Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” These verses are in the middle of a discourse about people who are idle (2Thes. 3:6-15). Paul set an example for believers concerning the importance of work. Yet, we can still show mercy and encourage such a person to work and even help them find work. Pray and ask God to give you His wisdom and compassion for the poor, only Jesus can lift them up, share Jesus as you show them compassion.

I would love to hear how you help the poor in your area.

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SERMON ON THE MOUNT page

How Wise People Fast

What is fasting and how do wise people fast? How often should we fast? People fast differently and for different reasons. It is popular now to do intermittent fasting to lose weight and improve your health. Some churches do the Daniel fast. Some people do juice fasts. There are many kinds of fasts. The people in the Old Testament fasted when they wanted a message from God (Judges 20:26-27; 2Chronicles 20:3). They also fasted in repentance when they sinned against God (1 Samuel 7:6 and Jonah 3:4-8). Most of the fasting accounts in the Old Testament were out of sorrow and to hear from God. Biblical fasting is humbling yourself before God. This is the fasting Jesus is referring to. Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:16-18 not to be noticed by others when we fast.

¹⁶“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Why do you think Jesus wants us to fast in secret? Do you think it was because the religious people fasted to show a piousness that was not authentic? If biblical fasting is humbly coming before God, then fasting to be noticed is motivated by pride. Since humility is an attribute of a wise person, then a wise person does not display they are fasting.

Jesus is the Word in the flesh, and He knew what Isaiah wrote, and so did the Pharisees. Isaiah defines what true fasting is NOT in Isaiah 58:3-4, he says, “‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. ⁴Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.”

Isaiah 58:6-10 defines true fasting:

⁶“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Fasting is seeking freedom from the control of sinful actions in our lives.)

^7”Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (True fasting is humbly laying your fleshly, selfish desires aside and being compassionate with the poor and meeting their needs.)

^8”Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” (When we humble ourselves before God and repent of our sins and put away our fleshly, selfish desires, then God will reward us.)

^9”Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, ¹⁰if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” (Does your fasting reflect this kind of fasting? Do you really want to hear from God and have His joy?)

Conclusion

When we fast in repentance and show compassion for the oppressed, then Isaiah 58:11 tells us, “And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Do you want God’s continual guidance, healing, and prosperity in your life? Then biblical fasting needs to be done in secret and as described above. This type of fasting is beneficial when you read the short transformation book posted on my website, to seek God to show you areas He wants to transform in your life. 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories.

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Read the other posts in this series on the SERMON ON THE MOUNT