DIG for Tuesday the 30th of January…..want to be more healthy, be an optimist then…..Proverbs 17 v 22

I am really enjoying preaching at the moment as I am looking at how our thoughts direct our lives, and there are some wonderful verses to teach from!

Take Proverbs 17 v 22 for example.

Proverbs is stuffed full of advice as to how we should live our lives.

In this verse we are told that it is healthy to be an optimist.

If we have merry thoughts, if we are on optimist, this is like taking a medicine.

We take medicine to make us better, to bring us back into health, so this verse is saying merry thoughts can make us well!

You may think this is nonsense, but science is actually now proving this truth.

Studies have shown that optimists are sick less than pessimists.

Science is actually catching up with the Bible in this area!

What is your dominant thought pattern in this area, do you think like an optimist or a pessimist, do you look on the good in things or focus on the bad?

How you think can determine your levels of health!

So if we know this and alter or improve our thinking, we can improve our health; this is so exciting!

We can affect our lives through our thoughts; this is an amazing Biblical truth.

You can control your thoughts and you should!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can alter and improve my thoughts and as a result improve my life”

Proverbs 17 v 22…..A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones

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DIG for Saturday the 7th of October……above all; to believe is a choice…..Ephesians 6 v 16

Our Spiritual armour is an awesome defence against the wiles of the enemy, and Paul reveals the most important part of it, our shield of faith.

When the enemy strikes with his attempts at lies and deception we immediately have a choice to make.

We have the choice to choose either one thing or another.

We can either believe the lie whispered and the accusation made against us, or we can believe what God has already said about us and declared to be the truth about us.

When we choose to believe God’s Word over every other thing, and exalt His opinion of us over any other accusation, our choice is like a shield defending the soldier from all the arrows of his enemy.

And our faith does even more than just shield; it takes all the fire out of the enemy’s attack!

When we stand firm in the truth of who we are and all that we have in Christ any wiles and schemes designed to bring us down will be easily extinguished on that powerful shield.

Again, this is all about knowledge.

We need to know the truth of your righteousness because of the Gospel, put this knowledge above every other fact, and be determined to stand on those facts.

That is what Paul is describing as the shield of faith and it will deal with ALL the fiery darts of the wicked.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the arrow deflecting, fire quenching power of faith. Thank you that my knowledge of the facts about my position in Christ is a mighty shield”.

Ephesians 6 v 16…Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked

DIG for Tuesday the 3rd of October…….our Armour of Thinking is our powerful defence……Ephesians 6:11

The Lord has given us tremendous armour against the enemy.

It’s not armour like Saul’s, the one that David rejected for his battle with Goliath
(1 Samuel 17 v38 and 39).

Our armour is not one that we wear on the outside of our bodies (2 Corinthians 10 v 4).

Paul uses the picture of a soldier’s armour to describe the defensive properties of knowledge.

It’s a protection that comes from within us.

As we grow more and more in knowledge, the more we will be able to stand and fight and win!

A soldier’s armour gives him protection from his enemy’s weapons.

The knowledge and understanding that we have of Jesus’ finished work, and of all that we are in Him, will protect us and defend us from the lies and deceptions of the enemy.

Paul says to ‘put on’ and ‘take unto you’ the ‘whole armour of God’.

This is not physical armour – it is the armour of knowledge.

Speak this out today…..’Thank you Lord for the power that I have through the knowledge of Your Word’.

Ephesians 6:11…..Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

DIG for Sunday the 1st of October…..Be strong in the Lord, be strong in His might……Ephesians 6 v 10

As you know I’ve been preaching about the armour of God recently, so Nunsy reminded me that she wrote a series of DIGs in 2014 about this very topic, and suggested I bring them out, “tweak” them a wee but and then publish. So here we go!

Our enemy has no real power; all he has is deception, but the trouble is that he is very good at it!

He is scheming and wily, and he is doing all he can to deceive mankind.

His only battle plan is to try and win our minds for the purpose of stealing, killing and destroying (John 10 v 10).

He is after how we think, because our life follows our thinking. We go where we think (Proverbs 4 v 23).

If he can get us thinking his way, according to the world and the flesh, then our minds are diverted from the truth of God’s Word.

This is why guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4 v 23), renewing our minds (Romans 12 v 2), and being spiritually minded (Romans 8 v 6), is so important.

If our hearts and minds are full of God and His Word, the enemy can’t touch us.

Right thinking is our defence against the enemy.

Right thinking is our armour and our weapon.

Strength, power and might come directly from right, Godly, Word-based thinking.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord, that knowledge of Your Word gives me strength, power and might”.

Ephesians 6:10…Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might

DIG for Saturday the 23rd of September…..know who you are and whose you are…..2 Corinthians 5 v 17

As I marked some papers from the bible school students this morning I was reminded about two important truths that we need to know.

We need to know who we are and we need to know whose we are.

In other words we need to know our true identity.

The Bible is crammed full of truths that if we know, understand and believe will change our lives.

We are sons of the Living God, adoptees into His family and as such co-heirs with Christ.

As a son of the Living God we are His (we belong to Him), we are no longer the property of the prince of this world i.e. the enemy.

We are righteous, holy and perfect, we are saints; we have been made this as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

Recognition of our true identity will help us live a life of health and abundance, just as God wants us to (3 John 2).

Recognition of our true identity will help us focus on Jesus and His goodness, with no conscience of sin.

Our true identity you see is that of a saint and not a sinner.

OK, we may sin, but that is a result of our unrenewed mind, it is not due to us being sinners.

Once we have been born again we do not have a sin nature; we have a new, perfect, righteous and holy nature (Ephesians 4 v 24).

That is our true identity, a righteous spirit belonging to God the Father.

And all this is simply because we are in Christ (2 Corinthians 5 v 17).

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that my true nature is righteous and holy and thank you that I am your son, adopted into your family”.

2 Corinthians 5 v 17…..Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new

DIG for Friday the 30th of June…..indoctrination and brain washing can be a good thing…..Romans 12 v 2

Doctrine seems to be a word that has a ‘bad’ reputation in the world and in the church.

It conjures up images of indoctrination and brain washing, and this of course has happened over the years many times in a negative way.

However, as I said in church last week, indoctrination can be a good thing.

It is a good thing if Biblical doctrine, i.e. the truth, is being used.

When we are born again our spirit is made perfect, however our soul (mind, will and emotions) is not.

This needs to be renewed; in a sense you could say we need our ‘brain washed’ to remove the nonsense and filth of the world.

Mind renewal (or washing our brain of nonsense and replacing with the truth) is a Biblical truth and an essential process for growth (Romans 12 v 2).

Indeed this is the only process that guarantees lasting and permanent change for the believer.

Doctrine is not a bad thing; it is simply the teaching of a teacher.

And when this teaching is Biblical truth from a teacher rightly dividing the Word of God it is powerful.

Good sound doctrine can change your life.

Good sound doctrine will change your life if you let it.

But you need to remember bad doctrine can have the opposite effect, so take car in what you listen to and what you read and watch.

Speak this out today……”Thank you Lord for your Word and thank you that this should be the basis of our doctrine”.

Romans 12 v 2…..And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of GOD

DIG for Wednesday the 31st of May…..replace the lies with truths and renew your mind…..Romans 12 v 2

Have you ever had negative things spoken over your life?

I think we all probably have at different times in our lives.

Have you been told that you are worthless, that your life will amount to nothing?

Do you still believe these lies?

Well, I have some Biblical truths that can set you free tonight.

According to the Bible you are now a son or daughter of the Living God, having been adopted into His family (Ephesians 1 v 5).

According to the Bible you are have been completely accepted by God (Ephesians 1 v 6).

According to the Bible God knew you before time or creation and created you in awe and wonder (Psalm 139 v 14).

According to the Bible God wants you to live in abundant life, living in health and prosperity (John 10 v 10 and 3 John 2).

According to the Bible you already have all you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1 v 3).

In other words, God knows you, loves you, has a plan for you to be a success and has equipped you for this success.

You are not a failure and you are not worthless; the Lord God Almighty has a plan and purpose for your life.

You can speak these truths out over your life and make a real difference.

If you believe these truths (renew your mind) your life will be changed for the better (transformed) (Romans 12 v 2).

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you created me with a plan and purpose, thank you that you created me for success”.

Romans 12 v 2…..And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God

DIG for Sunday the 21st of May…..have you fully removed your graveclothes and napkin…..John 11 v 44

While I was reading the account of the resurrection of Lazarus yesterday I had a wonderful picture about our salvation.

When we recognise Jesus and hear His voice we are brought back from spiritual death, and created new.

However when we come to salvation we are still bound up with many of our old attitudes and mind-sets.

We still cannot see all the truths about Jesus in His Word.

So, as Lazarus had to remove the graveclothes from his body and the napkin from his face, we needed to remove the bondages holding us back from our true potential.

If we have our spiritual eyes covered we cannot see the truths in the Word.

If we are still in bondage to our graveclothes (religion and legalism) we cannot move into the freedom of what we have in Christ.

We remove our ‘graveclothes and napkin’ through renewing our minds to the truth in His Word.

Mind renewal is key to moving into the abundant life that Jesus came to provide for us (John 10 v 10).

Mind renewal removes error in our thinking and helps us move into health and prosperity.

Wrong thinking leads to wrong living, as right thinking leads to right living; and mind renewal is the key to this.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I have been created new in my spirit and have been brought back to spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ”.

John 11 v 44…..And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go

DIG for Wednesday the 16th of November…..do you really want the preacher to be honest at your funeral…..Proverbs 22 v 1

I was really challenged this morning as I listened to some wonderful teaching from a man called Greg Mohr.

He said, “Live in such a way that the preacher does not have to lie at your funeral”.

Oh boy, though got me thinking!

I have been at many funerals when I thought the person sounded perfect but I knew that they were not.

I want the preacher to be truly honest at my funeral, so I need to live my life so that this happens.

I recognised (from listen to Greg) that in order for this to happen I need to be a man of character.

So how does this come about, well it is not something you can try and do or will yourself to be.

My testimony is that as my understanding of the Word increased my character has improved.

And this is what the Word says; we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12 v 2).

I think our character is a reflection of our true nature as it is allowed to influence our mind.

And this is done through mind renewal!

Are you interested in what the preacher may say about you at your funeral?

Are you interested in the legacy that you will leave behind?

If like me you are very interested in this I suggest you get into the Word and increase the rate of mind renewal; that is what I intend to do!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word and thank you that it is the agent for change in my life”.

Proverbs 22 v 1…..A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold

DIG for Sunday the 6th of November…..oh man, you’ve just got to love this language…..James 1 v 21

Most of you will know that I really love the King James Version of the Bible; it is the one I normally use.

I love it because it is just like poetry in some parts.

Other people use many other versions and that’s OK, but it has to be this version for me.

Yes, it can be difficult to understand, but there are parts of it that has language that I just adore.

Take James 1 v 21 for example.

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness” is just wonderful language, making me smile every time I read it.

OK, I have to look up the Greek to see what it means but I love that!

Whatever version you have in your hand I encourage you to read it more, study it more and meditate upon it more.

This is not through a works mentality in order to be blessed by God, but through a love for God and a love for His Word.

Whatever version you use I encourage you to rightly divide the Word (2 Timothy 2 v 15).

It is through understanding this Word, understanding about Jesus and His finished work that will see us being transformed through mind renewal (Romans 12 v 2).

Whether you like an old or new version, whether you read the Word or listen to it on cd or mp3, whether you like old English or modern language I encourage you to delve into His Word.

It will change your life!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word and thank you that it is the agent for change in my life”.

James 1 v 21…..Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls