pastor Norman

We read about DISCIPLINE frequently in scripture. In the Old Testament God had to apply discipline to His people Israel on a regular basis. In Revelation 3:19 (NLT) Jesus said, “I correct and discipline everyone I love”, see also, Heb 12:6 (AMP). The apostle Paul said that he disciplined his body, brought it under control (1 Cor 9:27; NKJV) and, “brought every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5b; NKJV). Our primary battle in the area of discipline is in the mind between thoughts based on God’s will and thoughts that are not of Him (Rom 7:22-23; 25b). We are also exhorted to be disciplined in the words we speak (Prov 13:3; NKJV). In Proverbs 25:28 (NLT). God tells us that, “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” Discipline enables us to draw closer to God and grow in righteousness (Heb 12:11). God’s discipline in our lives brings His blessing (Ps 94:12-14) and honour (Prov 13:18). Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) that lives in us as Christians. The apostle Paul wrote that all scripture is inspired by God and brings reproof, correction and enables us to grow in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). As we study God’s word, the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s word on discipline to us (John 14:26) and provide the power to enable us to grow in self-control and righteousness (2 Cor 3:18).

I found a four-letter word in the Bible the other day that I thought was worth digging into a little bit. According to Webster’s dictionary the word “must” means something that should not be overlooked, it expresses necessity and implies being compelled to or requested to do something. With that in mind I studied what I “must” do according to the Bible. Firstly, I MUST be born again, in other words I must commit my life to Jesus so I can be in fellowship with Him now and forever (John 3:6). In order to do this, I MUST believe that “God is and that He is a rewarder” (Heb 11:6; NKJV). As a Christian, I MUST follow Jesus (Mark 8:34, John 12:26). I MUST worship Him from my heart (John 4:24), I MUST listen to everything He tells me (Acts 3:22), I MUST be a servant (Matt 20:26) and I MUST be ready for the return of Jesus (Matt 24:44). As a disciple of Jesus, I MUST love God and others (John 13:34, 1 John 4:1), my love MUST be sincere (Rom 12:9), I MUST believe and not doubt (James 1:6), I MUST be patient (James 5:8), forgiving (Luke 17:4) and gentle to all (2 Tim 2:24). That’s a lot of MUST, so ask God to help you today to do all the things that MUST be done, and He will!

It is a great idea to read through the book of Psalms on a regular basis. Today, let’s look at Psalm 63. David starts his psalm by declaring his allegiance to God (Verse 1). As Christians we should all have made Jesus Lord of our lives (Rom 10:9). The king thirsted and longed for God, seeking after Him early in the day, in his secret place of prayer (Verses 1,2). We are also called to thirst for the things of God (Matt 5:6) and spend time in the secret place in prayer (Matt 6:6). King David meditated on God in the night and talked of his close spiritual relationship with Him (verse 8, 6). It is good for us to meditate on God’s word (Phil 4:8); it builds up our faith and brings us revelation (Rom 10:17); God also desires intimate fellowship with all of us (James 4:8; 1 John 1:3). In Psalm 63, David dwells on God’s power and glory (verse 2), God’s great love for all of us (verse 3), God’s abundance that He showers on us (verse 5), His help (verse 7), strength and protection (verse 8, 7), particularly from those who would harm us (verses 9,10). God’s love for us is unconditional (1 Cor 13:1-13) and all His promises are, “yes and Amen” (2 Cor 1:20). It’s no wonder that King David rejoiced in God (verses 7, 11), gave Him glory (verse 11) and praised Him with joy (verses 3,5). The author of psalm 150 wrote: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps 150:6). Re read psalm 63, it will bless you.

God completed His creation in 6 days and on the 7th day, He rested (Gen 2:2-3). When Jesus’ disciples returned from a preaching mission that He had sent them on, He took them to a deserted area to, “rest for a while” (Mark 6:31b; NKJV). Jesus and His disciples were caught in a storm in a boat, and He was sleeping; Jesus was truly resting (Matt 8:24). King David exhorted us to, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Ps 37:7; NKJV). We as Christians, can and should live active, creative and productive lives but at the same time we should walk in God’s rest (Heb 4:9). His rest is a cessation of labour, toil and burdensome effort in our own strength (Matt 11:28-30), casting all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7), doing things His way (Matt 11:29) and enjoying His refreshment (Matt 11:28b). Jesus said, “Come unto Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28; NKJV). He went on to say, “Take My yoke upon you “(Matt 11:29a) – that means to be teachable, humble and submitted to Him and do things as He directs us (Matt 11:29). Jesus added that His way is easy (Matt 11:30). Psalm 23 paints a beautiful picture of God’s rest, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul” (Ps 23:1-3; NKJV). Let’s get into the word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us about God’s rest!

Prov 15:28 tells us that the prayer of the upright is His delight and in verse 29 of that same chapter we read that God, “hears the prayers of the righteous” (NKJV). (See also 1 Peter 3:12). Psalm 34:17 declares that God not only hears the prayers of the righteous but also, “delivers them out of all their troubles” (NKJV). James also talks about the prayers of the righteous saying that, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16; NKJV). (See also Matt 7:7; John 14:13,14; 15:7; 16:24). 1 John 5:14 enlarges on this by saying that God hears us when we pray according to His will. In addition, Jesus told us that we need to address our prayers to God the Father in Jesus name (John 16:23). What is the secret to answered prayer? Praying in faith (Matt 21:22; Mark 11:23-24). We do this by believing that we receive the answers to our prayers when we are praying (that is before the answer actually comes). Faith isn’t the only thing needed; we also need to be forgiving as Mark 11:25 tells us. One last point on prayer – “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17); in other words, stay in communion with God throughout the day as much as possible. Prayer is our lifeline to God, follow the example of Jesus and make it a daily habit (Mark 1:25, Luke 5:16).