Has God ever disciplined you regarding your thoughts and mindset? He did that to me today while reading His Word. It wasn't a spanking, but a revelation of how He perceives things versus how I perceive things,
In John 7:45-52, the Pharisees are trying to trick Jesus so they have a reason to arrest Him. They sent officers to listen and report back what they heard Jesus say. However, the officers were no help to their cause because they, too, were amazed at the truths Jesus spoke. As the Pharisees ranted, a Pharisee who had talked to Jesus privately spoke up and asked, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" Look at their response:
52. They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."
These men either had forgotten their history or they were so full of hate they did not want to see truth. Both Jonah and Elijah had come from Galilee. How convenient to forget this truth.
I ask the question of us all, "Who do we include in our mindset of nothing good will come from those people or that person?" Who have we pegged as beyond help? Who have we determined is not worthy of our time and prayers? The Pharisees hated those who came from Galilee. Jesus' hometown was Nazareth in Galilee, so their assumption was that Jesus was no good, for nothing good came from that area.
My friends, it is so easy to fall into this Pharisaical mindset. I was convicted today to not let my knowledge of others affect God's plans for them or keep me from praying that God moves them forward. Even as I see people fall into patterns that I don't agree with and it seems they will keep making choices I wouldn't make, I pray I will not say, "Nothing good will come from them." A Pharisaical attitude denotes one is better and more holy than another. This is not a kingdom mindset and God will never bless it. Let's be intentional to keep our thoughts pure and to not fall into the demonic abyss of judging whether God can do a work in someone we consider beyond help. I hope we all think on this truth and allow God to do a work in us. Blessings.
Deb
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