Renew Your Mind.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." Romans 12:2

There is a dynamic principle shown throughout God's Word, and no person will ever walk in victory unless he understands and operates in it: right action follows right thinking.

Let me put it another way: you will not change your behaviour until you change your thoughts.

In God's order of things, right thinking comes first, and right action follows.

"Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind." Ephesians 4:24

These are quotes from the book, Battlefield In Your Mind, by Joyce Meyer.

Joyce helped me so much in my Christian walk. I used to wake up each morning wishing I had never been born. I hated facing a new day with all the problems it may throw at me. I used to ask God to let me die and have some peace.

This was my state of mind when I read this book. I wrote down all her suggestions on how to think differently. I read them every morning and quoted the Bible out loud as she instructed. Immediately I felt better about my life. Soon I didn't need to read the list of instructions, it just came naturally to think right thoughts.

My inner life has changed completely. I wake up happy to be alive. When something bad happens I now know that with God I can face it. I am so thankful to God and Joyce.

Jesus Asks Questions.

This is the last post on questions that God and Jesus have asked people. I conclude with Jesus and a few of the questions he asked.

"Why were you afraid, you men of little faith?" Matt. 8:26

"You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matt. 16

Faith is important to God. Jesus asked both these questions when he was on the sea with his disciples. In the first instance, they were all afraid of their boat sinking. There was a fierce storm at the time. Jesus was asleep and they woke him asking if he cared they would all die.

Jesus implied a person of faith would not have been afraid. Why? Why does it show faith when you believe you are about to drown and you are not afraid? I think that faith would say, "Trust in the Lord, if it is his will for you to die now then accept it. If it is not his will, no storm on earth could kill you."

The second verse came from Jesus when Peter came out onto the water to walk with Jesus. But Peter looked away and became afraid and began to sink. He looked at the storm instead of at Jesus. This it to teach us to look at God when we are in trouble. If we do, we will not doubt or be afraid.

Saul (later named Paul)was persecuting Christians; he was arresting them and taking them to jail. As he was going to Damascus a great light shone around him, he saw a heavenly person (Jesus) who spoke to him and asked him this question,


"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Paul had an open mind, he asked, "Who are you Lord?"

Jesus answered, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."

Paul was converted that day, he repented and became one of the greatest Apostles.

If God ever questions you or I, how will we answer him? Will we be rebellious or will we open our heart to him?

A Question for Isaiah and Questions for All of Us.

Isaiah, like Elijah, was another great prophet of God. One day God took him to heaven and Isaiah saw, "the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..."

God now asked a question of the ones in heaven, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for me?"
Isaiah answered and said, "Here am I, send me." What a wonderful answer! After seeing the majesty of God, Isaiah must have been strengthened for his great work in giving God's messages to the people of Israel.

Reading through the book of Isaiah, God asks the people many questions. Sometimes questions push us to examine why and what we are doing.

"What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the face of the poor?"
This is an important issue with God; it is mentioned time and time again in the Old Testament and the New.

"To whom will you liken me that I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.

"Why do you say, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?'"

"Is my hand short that it cannot save? Have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I dry up the sea with my rebuke. I make the rivers in a wilderness."

"Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?"

The Lord God wants to talk with people. He doesn't just want a one-sided conversation, he wants us to hear what he says in the Bible and he listens to what we say to him. If we have questions for God, he will answer them. Sometimes, like with Job, he will not explain all his reasons for doing things, but he will show us that he is trustworthy.

God Questions Job.

The book of Job tells the story of a man who endures terrible psychological and physical suffering. God shows us in the first chapter how Satan tells God Job only loves God because he has given him many gifts: children, money, lands, animals, and servants.

Satan tells God if he lets him take away all Job has then Job will curse God and leave him. God tells Satan he can touch everything of Job's but cannot take his life.

When Job loses everything and everyone but his wife, he cannot understand why he is suffering. Job's three friends tell him he must have sinned greatly for God to punish him in this way, but Job can think of nothing he has done. He wishes he had never been born and wishes he could talk with God and question Him.

God appears to talk with Job. He never explains why Job has had these tragedies. Instead, he asks him a long list of questions which I won't quote since there are too many. I will quote four of them.

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"

"Will the fault-finder contend with the Almighty?"

"Will you really annul my judgement?"

"Will you condemn me that you may be justified?"

God explains his great wisdom and power by pointing to all creation. He is trying to tell Job he knows what he is doing.

Job answers God, "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted...Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know..."

"But now my eye sees you; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."

The Question for Elijah.

Elijah was a mighty prophet of God, one of the greatest who ever lived. Yet, even he could become discouraged and fearful. When Jezebel announced she would have Elijah killed he ran into the desert to hide. He ran until he became hungry and tired; he sat under a tree and asked God that he might die, then fell asleep.

God sent an angel who woke Elijah and said, "Arise, eat." When Elijah looked there was warm bread and a jar of water. This happened twice, he regained his strength and went further into the wilderness until he found a cave in which to hide.

Now God himself appeared and asked Elijah a question, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Elijah explained to God all that had happened and told God he was the only person left in Israel who believed in him and they wanted to kill him. But God told him he was wrong, there were 7,000 people in Israel who had not worshipped Baal (an idol that demanded human sacrifice).

He then asked again, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He asked this because he had not sent Elijah into the desert. He had not told him to flee Jezebel. He now told him to return to Israel and Elijah obeyed.

I love how God deals with his people. He is so patient and understanding. "May everything that breathes praise the Lord!"

Questions II

Yesterday, I blogged about how God asks questions. I studied some more and found quite a few more examples.
Most people know the story of Jonah and the whale, but did you know that Jonah was angry with God when he didn't destroy the people of Nineveh? He probably didn't think they deserved to live, and also that he might be thought of as a false prophet.

So God came to visit Jonah and asked him, "Do you have a good reason to be angry?" Jonah 4:4

Isn't it wonderful to see the patience of God. Someone was angry with him, yet God didn't yell or punish, he simply asked a question. And what was Jonah's reply? "I have good reason to be angry, even to death." He was so angry, he wanted to die rather than accept what God had done.

Again God shows patience in explaining to Jonah his reasons.

"Shouldn't I have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who don't know their right hand from their left, as well as many animals?" Not only does God care about the people, he cares about the animals that would have died.

You may ask, "If God loved Nineveh so much why would he threaten to destroy the whole city?" The Bible has long lists of evils that push God to punish nations. The most prominent reason is child sacrifice. In many religions of that day the people laid babies and children on an alter and burned them to death. The other reasons were cruelty to strangers, murder of innocent people, sexual sins, robbing the poor, widows and orphans and not helping those in need. God will let nations go so far, and then no farther.

To those who turn to God, he will gladly accept and forgive. He will give them a new heart that loves to do good and not evil.

When God Asks a Question.

Genesis 3:9-13

After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, God came to the garden and started to ask questions.

"The Lord God called to the man Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"

"I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

"Who told you that you were naked?"

Why would God, who knows everything, ask these questions of a man? Is it because he wanted Adam to run to Him in trust, telling him all about what had happened. But instead, Adam pointed at Eve and blamed her.

God now questioned Eve, "What is this that you have done?" She evaded he responsibility and pointed at the snake and blamed him.

God gave both Adam and Eve a chance to say they were sorry, but it didn't happen. Perhaps later, but not at first.

Then there was Cain. God spoke to him with questions also. Cain was upset so God said, "Why are you angry? Why do you look sad?" He wanted Cain to open up to Him, to tell God his feelings, but instead the Bible says Cain went and told his brother Abel. Abel must have said something Cain did not like, for he rose up and killed him.


God came again, "Where is Abel, your brother?" God gave him a chance to confess his terrible sin. But Cain gave the answer, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Instead of repenting, Cain lied.

I see in the actions of God a patient and welcoming personality. Even though he knew what these people had done, he didn't open up with an accusation. He asked them to tell him what has happened.

This is what prayer is - telling God all about our feelings, our plans, our day. He wants us to share everything with him and ask for his help and strength. If Cain had done that when God first spoke with him, he probably would not have killed his brother. If Eve had waited after she met the serpent to talk with God about what had happened and asked his advice, this world would still be a paradise.

Tomorrow, I will show some more examples of God and Jesus asking questions.