DIG for Friday the 30th of November…..health can be found in The Proverbs…..Proverbs 3 v 8

There are a number of verses in The Proverbs that show us the way to health and long life.

2 such verses are here in chapter 3.

If we trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him; if we go His way instead of our way; the Word here in verse 8 tells us that this results in health and refreshment to our whole self.

Verse 2 says that if we go His way we will lengthen our days and have a long life; it says we will have peace.

By trusting Him and acknowledging His ways we will find peace in our lives.

Peace, lack of stress and lack of anxiety is found in Him and His Word; true peace is found only in Him.

Science is “catching up” with the bible by telling us that peace and pack of stress lead to reduced levels of illness; this is what The Proverbs 3 v 5 to 8 are telling us.

The bible is packed full of truths and one such truth is that we can find health, wholeness and long life through Him and His Word; what an amazing truth.

What a wonderful God; He has provide so many good things for us.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your peace; and thank you Lord that this will lead to health and refreshment”.

Proverbs 3 v 8…..It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones

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DIG for Thursday the 29th of November…..trust in Him; don’t trust in self; good advice…..Proverbs 3 v 5

How many times have you been in a situation and you have gone with your own judgement, even when you think (and really know) that it is not what God wants for you?

I think most of us have done that.

Every time I have done this it has been a disaster.

God knows what is best for me more than I do; and the same is true for you my friends.

God knows you (read Psalm 139) and He has a plan for you (Jeremiah 1 v 5) and knows what is best.

Proverbs 3 v 5 is a really good piece of advice.

Trust Him and what He says; don’t trust your own understanding and judgement.

He is after all the Lord of Lord, King of Kings and Creator of the universe; and you are not!

He is never wrong; we have many biases and prejudices that get in our way when making a judgement or decision.

Yes, as we progress in our walk with the Lord these will diminish, however He is always perfect and knows the best way forward for our lives.

Trust Him; trust Him with everything you have got; look to Him for advice, guidance and counsel.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you want the best for me and have a great plan and purpose for my life; help me find that through trusting you”.

Proverbs 3 v 5…..Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,; and lean not unto thine own understanding

DIG for Wednesday the 28th of November…..The Proverbs; jam packed full of wisdom and knowledge…..Proverbs 1 v 7

Proverbs is a book of the Bible that I probably do not read enough; I was drawn to it tonight though as I sat meditating on what to write in my DIG.

A quick “flick” through this section of scripture reveals one piece of advice after another; it really is crammed full of advice, council, instruction and knowledge for the believer.

I think that we will spend some time in DIG looking through this treasure trove of inspiration.

Let me ask you a very direct question today; do you have a reverence for the Lord or are you a fool?

Proverbs 1 v 7 talks about two different types of people.

It talks of one having a fear of the Lord; this is to be in a state of reverence, it is not talking about being scared of God.

These people will take His words, advice and counsel and treasure them and learn from them.

They use His Word for instruction and advice; learning from the truths held within.

It talks of the other type being a fool; these people despise or disrespect the wisdom and instruction found in His Word.

So, hopefully you are not a fool.

Hopefully you will be blessed by DIG as we delve into the truths in The Proverbs.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word; and thank you for your wisdom and instruction”.

Proverbs 1 v 7……The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction

DIG for Tuesday the 27th of November…..are you really sure that I’m supposed to rejoice in all circumstances…..Philippians 4 v 4

If you have been reading my DIG over the last few days you may have asked yourself this question: can I really rejoice under all circumstances?

This is what we say in 1 Thessalonians a couple of days ago, and this is what we see when we read this verse in Philippians.

Paul tells the Philippians (so he is telling us as well) to rejoice all the time; he then tells them again to rejoice in case they missed it the first time.

This is not all he said though was it?

He says to rejoice in the Lord!

Rejoice does not mean to be going around all the time in a state of euphoria; that would be impossible. The Greek means “to be full of cheer, that is calmly happy or well off”.

If we focus on Him and on His goodness; if we focus on the finished work of Jesus on the cross; we will naturally be in a state of rejoicing.

His goodness, love and finished work will never change; being able to rejoice is dependent upon these not on our circumstances.

Your circumstances will change but whether you rejoice or not should have nothing to do with what is going on around you.

Focussing on Him and His goodness will ensure that you can rejoice at all times.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that in you I can rejoice”.

Philippians 4 v 4…..Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say rejoice

DIG for Monday the 26th of November…..be thankful and be in a state of worship; what, all the time?…..1 Thessalonians 5 v 17 and 18

“Don’t forget verses 17 and 18” was the message I get this morning after my DIG from yesterday.

It is important to rejoice as described in 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16; verses 17 and 18 are also important and really should be taken together as a package.

Pray without ceasing does not mean be on your knees all the time; eyes shut and hands clasped together praying.

To pray means to be in a state of worship; you can sing a worship song as prayer; you can meditate on a verse of scriptures as prayer; you can marvel at creation as prayer.

You can be in a state of prayer continually; having your mind stayed on Him is to be continually in prayer.

How you stay in a state of prayer may be different from how I keep my focus on Him.

Thankfulness is also part of this package.

We all have much to be thankful of; thankful that we are saved through Jesus; thankful that we are alive at such an exciting time; thankful for family and friends.

Paul could stay in a state of prayer and thankfulness at all times; he does not ask us to do anything he did not do himself.

Prayer and thankfulness are conscious decisions we can take; I urge you to make this choice today.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the many blessings I have in my life; help me to focus on these more today”.

1 Thessalonians 5 v 17 and 18…..Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

DIG for Sunday the 25th of November…..can we really rejoice in all circumstances; I mean really…..1 Thessalonians 5 v 16

In my Sunday message at MGF today I used Philippians 4:4-9 and spoke about the teaching from Paul around peace and joy.

After the message one of the fellowship pointed out 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16; this says rejoice evermore.

Paul was a man who suffered a lot in his life; he was beaten and left for dead, whipped, thrown in prison and shipwrecked (among other things).

Yet in these epistles he tells people to rejoice always and forever; he is saying rejoice at all times.

Is Paul asking us to do something that he did not do himself?

I do not think so; I believe Paul to have been a man who rejoiced always; even from his prison cell as he wrote his epistle to the Philippians.

In Philippians 4 v 10 Paul says “do what I do”; he was asking us to do nothing over and above what he did.

Please take heart from this; if Paul could rejoice and live in peace then we can.

We have the same born again spirit as Paul; you can do it.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you for the example of Paul; thank you that I too can rejoice and live in peace”.

1 Thessalonians 5 v 16…..Rejoice evermore

DIG for Saturday the 24th of November…..is it important what we think about; oh yes…..Philippians 4 v 8

Paul was a man who suffered long and hard; he was beaten and left for dead, he was whipped, he was thrown into prison, he was shipwrecked.

Yet Paul was a man who in the midst of all this sang, worshiped, rejoiced and gave thanks.

How on earth could he manage this?

To start with he believed in Jesus and secondly he guarded his mind and kept it focussed on the Lord and in His goodness (Isaiah 26 v 3 and Philippians 4 v 7).

He lived in a mindset of praise and thanksgiving.

He actually lived out what he preached; he did what he wrote in his epistles.

Philippians 4 v 8 gives us a long list of “whatsoevers” to think about; this list is simply a description of the Lord.

Things of Him are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report and virtuous; can you think of anything or anyone else that fulfils this list?

Think on the Lord; focus and meditate on Him and you can move towards a similar mindset that we see in Paul.

We have the ability to live in joy, peace, happiness and thankfulness; we can have this if we have the correct thoughts and attitudes.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you want me to live a life of joy and peace; thank you that this is your will for my life”.

Philippians 4 v 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

DIG for Friday the 23rd of November…..He wants us to have peace; an expected end…..Jeremiah 29 v 11

I have many pieces of music that I listen to and let minister to me; one such piece is a song written and recorded by my wife and son based on Jeremiah 29 v 11.

This verse speaks of some wonderful truths; God thinks good thoughts about me; God wants me to live in peace; God has a plan for me that is worthy of hoping and longing for.

This is also true for you; remember that God has no favourites and treats us all the same (Acts 10 v 34).

God thinks about you; we know this from Psalm 139 also.

God wants you to live in peace; He does not consider evil for your life.

God wants you to have a life worth hoping and longing for.

He has provided this for you through the finished work of Jesus on the cross and He wants you to just accept it and take it.

Why has He done this; because He loves you (John 3 v 16, 1 John 2 v 2 and 1 John 4 v 9 and 10).

Read Jeremiah 29 v 11 and believe that God is speaking to you.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you have planned a life for me that is worth hoping and longing for”.

Jeremiah 29 v 11…..For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end

PS – here’s a link to the recording (done in friend’s basement) if you are interested…………

DIG for Thursday the 22nd of November…..peace, joy and also happiness is found in the Lord…..Psalms 146 v 5

Every good thing is from the Lord (James 1 v 17); and happiness is included in this.

We all want to be happy; we all have a basic human need to be happy.

This verse is a wonderful encouragement for the believer; happiness is found in God and in the things of God.

As a believer God is our help and our refuge, and this leads to our happiness.

People look towards many things to make them happy; money, alcohol, other people; this does not work and true happiness is only found in God.

Hope is a positive imagination; hope in the things of God also brings happiness.

Thinking and focussing on God and on His goodness brings happiness (it also brings peace remember).

This verse is wonderful; it shows us where we can find true happiness.

Focus on the goodness of God (hope) and be thankful (for His help).

This again is a really simple formula that many do not know about or do not operate under. You now do, so use it and be happy through Him and His goodness.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you are the true source of happiness”.

Psalms 146 v 5…..Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God

DIG for Wednesday the 21st of November…..peace is a characteristic of God; and of the real you…..Galatians 5 v 22 and 23

Peace is a characteristic of God; we see this from a number of verses, including Galatians 5 v 22 and 2 Thessalonians 3 v 16.

Peace is also a characteristic that you have in the “real” you; and by the real you I mean your spirit.

It is also a characteristic that the Lord wants you to portray to others; this is made clear by the amount of times peace is mentioned as a greeting at the start of epistles (See the start of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians etc).

All the peace you will ever need has already been installed into your born again spirit on the day you became a new creature and gave your life to Jesus.

Your “job” is to work out this peace into your soul (mind, will and emotions) and into your body.

If you have read DIG over the last couple of days you will know the process involved in seeing more peace in your life.

Trusting and focussing on Him resulting in peace to allow you trust and focus on Him more.

This iterative process is a spiritual law and will work if you put it into practice; it cannot fail as the Word says so!

Focus on the scriptures you have read in DIG recently; read more verses about peace; meditate on His peace.

Peace is for you; God wants you to have peace in your life more than you do!

Put this spiritual law into practice and see the peace already in your spirit work its way out into your soul and body.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you want me to be at peace”.

Galatians 5 v 22 and 23…..But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law