June 2021 Newsletter

Things haven’t gone really smoothly today. It ended up technology was down.

So, I am using the newsletter as the post. We’ll get back to the Transformed to Perfection series in the next devotion.

I wanted to say a couple of thanks you. Thanks for your prayers on my surgery. I had no problems at all.

Thank you, also, for your prayers for my church after Pastor Chad died unexpectedly. We have called a new pastor, who will be starting the middle of next month. So, you will probably be hearing me say things about Pastor Joey.

Main Nuggets

  • Salvation is not about the do’s and don’ts. Submission is. By following God’s laws and commandments — and asking for forgiveness when we break them — we are growing holiness (Growing Our Souls).
  • We set our thoughts above when we are pursuing godly perfection (How Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
RedoForGodliness

Our Relationship with God

  • The foundation of hope is grace that comes when belief is present (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • God isn’t stressing over what is happening. We need to remember that He is omniscient. He is also unchanging (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • God’s love for us will never change. Yes, God is going to love us regardless of our actions. But we can’t use that as an excuse not to change (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • We are to consistently read God’s Word so that the connection formed with Him will help us corral our thoughts. We need to prayerfully read the Scriptures, asking God to increase our knowledge and submissiveness. We can’t read a couple of verses and think God is pleased with our devotional efforts. We can’t think we are going to learn all about God and Jesus with a five-minute read. We have to consistently study God’s Word and meditate on what we have read (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • There are a lot of things about God that we don’t understand. He has revealed only some to us in His Word (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • Our relationships with God happen in our minds and in our hearts. That means the relationships are greatly impacted by our thoughts (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • It may be called renewing your mind, but it is the renewing of the spirit of the mind. God is working on our hearts (Growing Our Souls; How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • Our inner self is more important than our outer self (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • We are renewed every day. This helps us to grow because we never reach perfection here. There is always something new to learn about God. He is always working on our character to make us more like Him (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • We have to structure our thoughts so they grow our relationships with God, not hinder them. He wants us to be thoughtful about what pleases Him. We have to put the focus on Him (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?; Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • Yes, we can question God. We cannot doubt Him. We have to always give Him the glory and honor He is due (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • Joy from above only comes when we are seeking God as joy and pleasure are only found in the presence of God. If we aren’t in God’s presence — communicating with Him — we don’t have it (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?; More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • Faith promotes the circumstances that create joy, making joy is a product of our faith. Faith = Joy. No Faith = No Joy (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
  • We put off our old self through regeneration — by saying we believe in God. But there is more to it than that. If we only take off half of the old self or put on half of the new self, we still aren’t where God wants us to be. He wants us to totally submit to Him at conversion. It is to be a complete break from our old sins (Growing Our Souls).
  • We don’t get to keep old sins while we get the hang of being a disciple. We have to make a conscious decision up front as to whether we are all in for God or are we keeping with the worldview (Growing Our Souls).
  • If we do not put on our new selves, we haven’t made a genuine profession of faith (Growing Our Souls).
  • Sanctification is completing the work that grace began (Influencing the Soul).
  • We are sanctified through God’s Word and His providence (Influencing the Soul).
  • Sanctification is a surrender. We need to be obedient to His Will (Influencing the Soul).
  • God carries on His sanctifying work in our souls. If He did not, we would not be changed (Influencing the Soul).
  • If we are not changed, we cannot live with God for eternity. The disciples who have navigated the Sanctification Road and had their character changed to that of God’s will be rewarded for their obedience to God. Only those who have changed to perfection will be admitted to Heaven (What Affections Are We Talking About?; Influencing the Soul).
  • In order to grow, we need to remember the past experiences God has taken us through to know what is in our hearts (How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • As we focus on Him, we can see the areas in which God is working (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • Instead of being content in the knowledge of Jesus, we sometimes get hung up on what we don’t understand. It doesn’t matter what we know or not know. What matters is that we know the One Who is all-knowing (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • God renews our self-esteem when our baggage-wagons get too full (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • God renews us daily, so we can’t quit trying. If we give up, Satan has won this battle. We know he won’t win the war against God. We can’t let him capture our baggage-wagons, so that we take our eyes off God (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • Because we are His, we will have to be ready to fight whatever Satan throws our way (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We keep our focus on God by remaining in communication with Him. How are we supposed to combat our anxiety? By prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. We can’t do it by ourselves. We can’t do it with worldly methods. We can’t depend on a significant other or family member. We need to go to the Source (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • We do have to ask in His Will. Our petitions have to be genuine. They have to recognize God as our Creator and Ruler (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • If we don’t ask, then it means we are not submitted to God. We may feel we are entitled to what God wants to give us. Asking makes the receiving of the mercies sweeter (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • It is through the two-way communication that we learn Who God really is. He reveals more of Himself to us than is in the Scriptures (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • We are to pray to God about everything. That means we shouldn’t keep a portion of our lives back from His control (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • Instead of being fearful, we should be thankful. Even when our anxiety is at its peak, we should be thankful (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • It is all about redemption. God’s #1 priority is the condition of our soul. Is it spiritually dead or spiritually alive? (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • The condition of our soul is much more important than what is happening in this life (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • It doesn’t matter if we think something is a biggy or something minuscule. It tells us about God. That makes what He reveals through His Holy Spirit infinitely more than we realize (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We need to use what God reveals to us to better our relationships with Him (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • God wants us to make conscious decisions to follow Him. In order to do that, we need to know all we can about our relationships with Him (How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • In order to grow, we have to prove we are making a genuine profession of faith (How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • We have to prove that we genuinely believe in God as our Heavenly Father and Jesus as our Savior. We believe it enough to change our character to reflect Them (How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • We’ve got to imitate God’s character. We have to be Him, not do to earn or perfection (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • Should we be surprised that God is placing the emphasis on how we are progressing from the milk baby to steak adult? No. His concern is always our spiritual condition. Our comfort in this life is secondary to that (How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • God’s laws and commandments aren’t a strict checklist to determine how many of the do’s did we do — and how many of the don’ts. They are to show us God’s character. We are to use what we learn from them to aid us in determining our actions in other situations (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • The will of God is that we change our character be like His. We are to become holy and set apart so that we can be perfected. If we don’t, we will be the ones saying, “Lord, Lord” (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • Knowing Christ and striving to imitate Him produces His character in us. That means we see ourselves as we really are (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • We are to grow in the knowledge of God and produce good fruit (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • Living for God means that we live in a sinful world while trying to not sin (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • If we put God first, then we must put Him above the things of this world. This includes our jobs, our relationships, our hobbies, etc. (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • What we are going for here is more than just a head knowledge. We can’t just know that Jesus lived as a man. We have to know that He came to redeem us (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • We are to make God our priority. That is putting Him first in time and attention (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • We have to seek God because He is Sovereign God and loves us. We are to seek God’s righteousness because then we are truly seeking God (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • We have to seek God completely. It should be our strongest desire to be more like Him (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • When we seek God, we will find Him (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • God’s character is considered His face. We are to see that because we are to imitate His character (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • We only see God’s face through righteousness. (That is why we are to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.) (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • We should seek what God values. He values our salvation and obedience (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?)
  • God has always been and will always be our Father. In fact, God made a covenant with Jesus and us (Why Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • We can set our affections above because we have gained access to God once we are changed to possess Jesus’ righteousness. The good news is, because we are the bride of Christ, His righteousness becomes ours (Why Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • We can access God — even though we are still in these sinful bodies — because of our belief in Jesus. But that doesn’t mean God hates our sin less (Why Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • God always has something more He wants us to understand. There is always some sin that we have to confess. He is always wanting us to grow in grace and knowledge (II Pet. 3: 18) (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • Worldliness is the opposite of what God wants for us (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • You see, worldliness isn’t about just living in this world. It is desiring the things of this world. He basically described it in three words: external, temporary, and delusional (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • We prioritize Jesus above worldly things when we truly know Him (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • We have to realize that this is all about God and Jesus. It is all about God because He didn’t turn His back on us when we disobeyed Him. It is all about Jesus because He died for us. It isn’t about what we want or need out of this life. It isn’t about what we can or should do. It is about what God has already done for us (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • We are to put nothing before God (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • Jesus wants us to put Him as our priority. God has to rank first above “… father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, and even his own life …” (Lk. 14: 26 CSB) (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • It isn’t that we just do things that Jesus calls us to do. We have to also lessen the pull this world has on us (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • If we do not give Jesus first priority, we are not worthy of Him. We are not worthy if we are not sincere (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • We commit sin when we don’t put Christ before other things (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • God doesn’t want us to half-heartedly follow Him. He doesn’t want us to justify sin. Our goal should be to completely erase them from our lives (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • We must live the way God wants us to live. That is putting Him above everything in this life (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • God’s priority is the condition of our souls. We must set our affections to ensure our soul is in His condition (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
  • Our relationship with God begins with the realization that God can be our Father. As we learn of Him, we learn of His character through His laws (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
  • When we are unbelievers, we can get so caught up with the expectation that we will have to give up everything we like. That isn’t true. It also doesn’t take into account what we will gain (How Do We Go from Milk Baby to Steak Adult?).
  • It is all about the submission. It isn’t about understanding. It isn’t even about feelings. It isn’t about religious affiliation. It is about letting God have His way. Even if He is calling us to do or give up something we don’t want. Even if it is going to hurt (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • Submission to God has two elements: follow God’s Will perfectly and, if something is not His Will, not making it our will (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • Even if we were able to do all of the do’s and not do any of the don’ts, we would still be sinful because we are separated from God (What Was John the Baptist’s Message?).
  • When we repent of our sins, God will forgive us and restore our relationships to Him (What Was John the Baptist’s Message?).
  • God is adamant that we have to come to salvation His way (What Was John the Baptist’s Message?).
  • Age, race, gender, social status — nothing limits to whom God’s salvation is offered. Nothing limits to whom the consequences are given (Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below).
  • True disciples produce evidence of their conversion (John the Baptist’s Tough Message).
  • When we repent, we have to change — our allegiance, our thoughts, our mindset, our actions (John the Baptist’s Tough Message).
  • We aren’t given a pass because of our ancestors’ religion. We aren’t given a pass because we are good people. We aren’t even given a pass because we believe in God. We have to believe and be fruitful. We can only be fruitful when we give our lives to Jesus (John the Baptist’s Tough Message).
  • Choosing to accept God’s gift of salvation means we commit to Him without delay (More Reasons Why We Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • The choice is ours. Are we going to follow Satan? Sure, we might have it better in this life if we do. Eternity will be hell if we do (More Reasons Why We Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • Our future happiness is contingent on our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior. If we don’t do that, we aren’t going to set our affections on things above (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • If we ABCD but are not sincere about it, we won’t gain Heaven. If we say we are setting our affections on things above but can’t give up the things below, we won’t make it (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • When we know Jesus and consider what He has done for us, we value what He has done (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • An important component of taking the Lord’s Supper is the retrospection that we do in preparation for the actual ordinance (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • We are to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Are we acknowledging that He is the Savior, the only way we could gain salvation? We are to examine our hearts and lives. Are we navigating the Sanctification Road as we should? Have we gotten our redo for godliness to the heart level? (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • We are to come acknowledging our need for Him rather than kicking ourselves that we don’t meet the standard (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • It is all about coming humbly and reverently. It is about setting our thoughts on Him and acknowledging we would be nothing without Him (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • The Plan of Salvation is all about restoration. But it is about restoration because the judging will come later (Who Was John the Baptist?).
  • The fruit of the tree of life will only be given to those who have been set apart and perfected because they are morally pure and have their names written in the book of life (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • Since this world is fleeting, it won’t give us the satisfaction that our eternal life will give us. We have to focus on the lasting (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • Knowing Jesus and living for Him brings us much better rewards than setting on eyes on earthly things. Heaven will be our reward for setting our affections on things above (Reasons Why Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things; Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • Heaven is because Jesus is. We should want it based solely on it means our being with Christ (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
  • Our motives must be based on serving Christ until we are called home (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
  • We need to remember how He has provided for us in trials. We need to think about how God has saved us from difficult circumstances. Having those memories — and dusting them off and contemplating on them — help us to corral our thoughts. When our thoughts want to run away with us, we can simmer down when we remember how God has provided in the past (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).

Glossary

Make Be holy, because I am holy (I Pet. 1: 16 CSB) our standard.

Obeying God’s Laws and Commandments

  • Scriptures were written so that we could know the laws and commandments, they could change us, and we could receive the joy (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • These laws and commandments are not going to change — no matter how much the worldview people think they should. God has decreed what is a sin and what is not. That isn’t going to change (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • The Bible will never be a dead book in a library cemetery. It will be a living, breathing document that prophecies the future — until that prophecy is fulfilled (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
  • We are to attempt to find freedom from sin by following God’s moral laws. Attempt. That means we aren’t there yet. What is imperative is that we have to be moving in the right direction. We are to be moving away from sin and toward God’s moral laws (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • The Jews thought that, since they were God’s people, they could just sit back and let God do for them. It doesn’t work that way. We need to show remorse for disobeying God. We need to want and try to follow His laws and commandments. Repentance is our conscious decision to try to do all of that (What Was John the Baptist’s Message?).
  • We can’t write our sins off as the product of our environment or just how we were wired. We have to choose to follow God’s laws and commandments or to sin (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • People who give lip service devotion will suffer consequences. I think we do have trouble understanding God’s character because we evaluate it based on our understanding — not worldview understanding, but worldly understanding. We know what we think it should be (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • The reward God gives us depends on our actions — not just our knowledge or thoughts. It is based on what we do with what we know. It is based on what we do for Him (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • We can’t delude ourselves into thinking we can do okay on a couple of the laws and commandments but fall way short on the rest — and it will be okay (How Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
  • Sometimes we think disciples have to do everything perfectly. We have to be 100% fruit-of-the-Spirit perfect without breaking any laws or commandments. Not going to happen, folks. We will still have our share of failures (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • Thy Will be done. Really, that is what God wants in a nutshell. Remember, we said it wasn’t about doing or not doing. Perfection was all about being (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • God knows how much work it is going to be to diligently follow Him. He will reward us when we succeed in obeying Him (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • Many times when we pray, we say, “God, let this happen if it is in Your Will.” James contended that sometimes God lets things that we ask for happen — even if they aren’t in His Will and aren’t for our good. When we are given what we ask for, it becomes a consequence of setting our affections below (Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below).
  • This renewal isn’t a Sunday-and-done-for-the-week thing. It is a daily renewal. It also isn’t a once-and-done renewal. It is a gradual, daily renewal (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • Do we have a little red wagon that we are carrying our guilt around in? Have we not done a mission project we were supposed to do? Did we do a sin that was really a don’t? Satan is going to just jump right on that and milk it for all it is worth. Or he will try (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • Those baggage-wagons are — many times — going to hinder us from changing our character to be like God’s. We are going to feel unworthy, like we aren’t making enough progress, or that we aren’t making any at all. We’ve got to keep our eyes on God. He will tell us if we are making enough success to please Him. We have to give our baggage-wagons to God. He will lighten them (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • We make the inward us God has turned us into visible through the outward us (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • You would think that disciples would not have anxiety. We have all of these promises from God. However, when our world starts to get shaky, the anxiety ramps up. We can’t seem to stop ourselves (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • Anxiety is caused by taking our focus off of God. It is like we don’t trust Him to do what He has promised — provide for us and take care of us (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • The flip side of that is when we value worldview things more than God things. That can cause anxiety as our focus is different than how we are made (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • Our anxiety should be tempered by the fact that God has us in the palm of His hand. He is in control 
  • (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • When we are anxious over the big things in life, then we really are doing it wrong if we don’t put it in God’s control. It is an indictment of our faith if we aren’t relying on God then (Renewing Our Inner Person from Anxiety).
  • We prepare ourselves for the trials that try to steal our confidence and our relationships with God (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We see the trial as the disease, not the cure that it is (Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below)
  • We renew our inner person by training ourselves for what comes our way. We know Satan is going to try to throw things at us. We know God is even going to test us. We have to be ready. We are not only to maintain our salvation, but we are also to grow it. We have to be prepared (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We need to remember how He has provided for us in trials. We need to think about how God has saved us from difficult circumstances. Having those memories — and dusting them off and contemplating on them — help us to corral our thoughts. When our thoughts want to run away with us, we can simmer down when we remember how God has provided in the past (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • In order to gird our minds, we need to replace vanity with humility (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • Tightening our belts would help us with our sobriety. It increases our self-control (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We need to be self-controlled in each area. If we aren’t controlled by God in our opinions, affections, and speech, we damage our witness. If we aren’t self controlled in our expectations, then we could come across as arrogant and uncaring (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We are not to be going to extremes, but we should be grounded in reality. We can focus on God more when we are consistently looking at truth (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • We need to switch our focus away from desiring worldly possession to focus on God (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • We need to switch our focus to where God is working and help there (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • A consequence of setting our affections below is being self-centered, instead of focusing on God (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • God wants us to master our pride and focus on Him (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • Our lives here on earth determine the treasures stored up for us in Heaven. Collecting our treasures shows the priority that we are making God in our lives. It is the evidence of our belief (Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • The consistency of sobriety should foster the hope. It brings a harmony to our lives that strengthens us. It calms all the clashing factions in our minds (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • Hope is only maintained by self-discipline (Renewing Our Inner Person by Being Sober).
  • Prayer strengthens us to resist temptation (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • Jesus knew that there were some temptations that we would only be able to withstand if we were constantly praying. He knew that God was in ultimately in control (Jesus’ Prayer of Submission).
  • Disciples will always have both natures (sinful and spiritual) until we get our new bodies in Heaven. Because of that, we have to be cognizant of our physical nature (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • Our corrupt nature isn’t concerned about what is good and evil. It is only concerned about what feels good (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • When we follow our fleshly nature, we are rebelling against God. We are refusing to submit to Him (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • Pride is the exact opposite of what God wants. We think we don’t need God when God wants us to depend on Him (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • God doesn’t want us to be self-sufficient. He wants us to put our trust in Him that He will provide our needs (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • God wants us to be transformed from people seeking worldly pleasures to disciples who are seeking to live in His Will. He is looking for an inward change (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • Satan is going to do everything he can to make our Sanctification Road as hilly and bumpy as possible. He wants to wreck our relationship with God so that he can get us back (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • Our faith has to lead to a relationship with God. A relationship with God has to lead to a change in our character (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • We would say that character change has to get down to the heart level. That is the original source of our relationships with God. It has to be the original source because the heart is from where sin comes. That means that outward acts have to come from the inward faith (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • God grows us and opens up new opportunities for us. To get us to move where He wants us to be, He starts sowing the seeds of want more or different (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • There are two paths in life. It is our choice which path we will go down. In order to make the choice, we need to know about where the two paths lead. One leads to Heaven and joy and pleasure. The other leads to hell and torment. The way to Heaven is right while the other way only seems right, but isn’t (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • We think that environment determines who we will be. Environment does influence who we turn out to be. However, the choices are always ours. It is part of our free will (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • Worldview people see their ability to choose for or against God as a freedom. They don’t see it as bondage(Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below).
  • I think a good way of switching our affections back to God is seeing covetousness for what it is. It is an indulgence. It is a self-gratification where we lack moderation. It becomes a luxury and a tolerance(How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • God will not share worship with anything we make into a god (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • We need to switch to rely on God’s provision, so we don’t have to put a wrong focus on earthly things (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • We choose not to follow God. We choose to suffer the consequences of our choice. This is an individual choice. Our parents don’t make it for us. It isn’t made because we attend a religious organization (Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below).
  • Satan convinces worldview people that they do not need to follow God’s laws and commandments. They can choose their own morals and actions. Their self-centeredness is elevated to arrogance when they feel they should not be held accountable for their actions and thoughts (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • When we set our priorities on things above, the value of this life decreases (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • Satan doesn’t want us to prioritize God into the first position. That is where Satan wants to be. He will use anything he can to suffocate God’s Word (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • We need to be intentional in evaluating the priorities of our lives (Prioritizing Things Above).
  • God is the one to accomplish that change from thought to practice. We, however, have to be diligent in doing our part (How Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • We set our thoughts above by thinking of God, thereby strengthening our relationships with Him (How Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • God does hold us accountable (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • There will be consequences for sins that steal our worship from the One true God (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • We are rewarded when we choose God to be our Sovereign Lord (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above)
  • We can receive the reward by supporting someone who does the work. We take our focus off what we can or can’t do and put it on where God is already working. Then we get the reward like we were actually doing the work (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • God rewards those who are sensitive to His Will (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • We can’t wait to come to God just when we have physical and emotional needs. We need to come to God as Sovereign God first. The praise and worship has to come before the laundry list of requests. We have to come frequently (How Do We Switch Our Affections in Our Redo for Godliness?).
  • We, as His creations, are obligated to follow His laws and commandments. If we don’t, we will pay the consequences (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • I think we do have trouble understanding God’s character because we evaluate it based on our understanding — not worldview understanding, but worldly understanding. We know what we think it should be (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • Worldview people want us to hear what God calls sins — and ignore them. They want us to hear “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16: 15 KJV) — and not do it. We have to do what God tells us to do, not what worldview people tell us. We can’t water down the gospel in order to get their stamp of approval (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • God is looking for a genuine confession. He is looking for obedience to His way (Why Do We Suffer Consequences When Setting Our Affections Below?).
  • God will honor those who are obedient to Him (Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • God said that He would not put up with people disobeying His laws and commandments. God isn’t in the business of giving fire insurance. He is in the business of bestowing salvation on us when we genuinely ABCD (Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • We have to remember that this is an if…then situation. If we honor God, He Will honor us. We can’t have one without the other (Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • Conformity to others isn’t what God wants. He wants conformity to Him (Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • God directs our lives, which lead to joy and pleasure when we are in His presence (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • The creation of us was for God’s glory and honor, not our prosperity (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • God has a road map of how our lives are supposed to go. It is more than we are to be successful in our lives. It is that every thought God has for us are ones that promote peace (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • God uses the believers and the non-believers to further His plans. He uses the good things and the bad things to reveal Himself to us (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • God did not create us to be sinners. When He created us, we were made in His image. Mankind was the one who let sin into the world. We disobeyed God and brought the punishment on ourselves (More Benefits of Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • We need to corral our thoughts to focus on pursuing perfection. If we focus our thoughts on God, we can renounce our self-righteousness and focus on the righteousness gained through faith (How Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • Meditation is a big part of achieving sanctification. It should include evaluation that leads to accountability (How Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • If some of the spiritual graces are absent, our character is defective (How Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • We are to come acknowledging our need for Him rather than kicking ourselves that we don’t meet the standard (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • God is powerful enough to handle whatever situations in which we find ourselves. Our thoughts can chill because He’s got this (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • Yes, we can question God. We cannot doubt Him. We have to always give Him the glory and honor He is due (How Else Do We Set Our Thoughts Above?).
  • Setting our affections on things above helps us to long for Heaven (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • Self-sufficiency is not setting our affections on things above. It is keeping our eyes firmly on us (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • We become content in this life when we set our affections on things above (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • If we are looking to God and His plan for our lives, we shouldn’t be totally dissatisfied. To be in God’s Will should bring out the “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8: 28 NIV) deal (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
  • To reach Heaven, we must set our affections on things above. Focusing on this world will not gain us Heaven (How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
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Glossary

We must live the way God wants us to live. That is putting Him above everything in this life.

Reflecting Him to Others

  • The focus has to be on God and on others, not us. We renew ourselves by becoming more like Him and serving others (Renewing the Inward Person).
  • As we learn, we are more concerned with others, as opposed to the selfish society. Because of our relationship with God, we act differently with others than worldview people do (More Reasons Why We Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
  • God is expecting us to be different from worldview people (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • We have to make a conscious decision to stop buying into the worldview. Their goal to be good people may sound admirable. They are, however, trying to cut God out. That isn’t going to fly. They will be judged in the end and found wanting (Growing Our Souls).
  • Jesus does not want us to have a worldly life. John told us about three components that we should avoid: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life (Setting Our Affections on Things of Earth).
  • Death, for a disciple, shouldn’t be the scary proposition it is for non-believers. We know where we are going, and we know all it is promised to be (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
The inward has to be in step with the outward when we are transforming into what God wants us.

To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.

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