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Volume 6 ... #21
Think On Things Where There Is "A Good Report", says Paul
I want to stress how important it is for us to do what Paul said and think on those things where there is a good report...
Phil 4:8 ... Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
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One day, I was thinking on something where it was a very good report ... meaning God within the story and how God had helped me with a secular matter and had shown me what to do.
Then my mind flipped to some secular subject which was troubling me.
Because I remembered what Paul said in Philippians 4:8, I stopped and made myself think of a good report concerning God.
A few minutes later there was something negative that came into my mind ...we must not entertain negative thoughts... those are devilish... Again I made myself think of a good report concerning God's help which HE had given me.
(Sometimes the flesh tries to get us to wallow in the problem instead of thinking of all the good God has done for us.)
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An example of a good report … God raised Jesus from the dead and we believe God will raise us from the dead as He once raised us from the dead when He turned us to Himself when we were born again.
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Another example of a good report ...God says He will never fail us nor forsake us... (Heb. 13 & Joshua 1)
Hebrews 13:5 ...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. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
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So we can know that God is always with us, watching over us and because of this understanding we do not have to fear what man can do to us.
When a human tries to deceive us, God will cause us to be troubled by something that human says so we can be warned not to go along with his thinking. Or his plan will be so difficult to do or costly we know immediately that his plan is not God's plan. So we know not to go along with that man's plan.
God gives us guideposts to show us if the plan or idea is from God.
James 3:17 ... But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
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So if the plan is costly ... I know to back off and seek another way to take care of the problem.
If the plan is extremely complicated and difficult, I am warned to seek another plan.
As long as we are on this earth we will have problems. We want a "permanent" solution. And by our desire for a permanent solution to our problem, we might go through much more than is actually needed and not achieve our results anyway because there is likely not a "permanent" solution to these secular problems. (And God will, in time, destroy the heaven and earth and even it will not be permanent.)
Jesus warned us ... Mt. 6 ... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
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We have to try to learn to deal with each day and the problems of that day in a godly way by turning to God in prayer for help and by waiting on HIM to give us the solution rather than rushing headlong into one plan after another thinking we have "the answer" when we only frustrate ourselves and often spend needless money with no good results.
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Prayer ... faith that God will help us ... waiting for God to show us what to do ... these are the needed parts to facing any problem.
In the meantime, we build ourselves up in the faith by thinking on ways God has helped us with previous problems, knowing God will help us with current problem.
We think on "a good report" which shows the working of God.
This is a deliberate act of our will to make ourselves think on what God has done in past.
And it builds our faith in God for today.
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