Inner Narrative Series

April 7 2021

Day 11

Inner Narrative Pleasing God

Please pray with me:

Abba, let the words I speak and my heart’s deepest thoughts give Your presence pleasure. (paraphrase of Psalm 19:14a)

Let’s continue to apply Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians to our own souls. Here is the section of Scripture we’re considering:

No rotten word must proceed from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness. Become kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:29–32 Lexham English Bible)

For those who may be interested, from what I recall, this stress on Ephesians 4:29 came as prophetic confirmation in a home meeting. This is how I remember it…

A colleague visited someone from his church who was in a hospital psychiatric ward. She was suicidal and checked herself in at the insistence of her family. This congregant was universally loved and esteemed for her gentle wisdom and even temper, but something had gone wrong. My friend reported that she spoke of herself in such a vehement angry way that her hate-filled self-loathing took him aback. He reflexively reproved her, saying that she would never speak like that about another person and that she needed to repent of the way she was speaking of herself.

I was a bit surprised by the bluntness of this confrontation. It turns out that this interchange was helpful. (Thank God!)

This was reported to me before our evening meeting. I thought this was a worthwhile principle: to speak of ourselves like we would speak of others. Just before we began to discuss developing a God-honoring inner-narrative an insightful friend brought up this verse together with the application we are now examining. I thought it was remarkable confirmation. I hope you find it helpful.

Please consider it, again.

No rotten word must proceed from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29 Lexham English Bible)

Here is a paraphrase that expresses my application of this verse:

Do not allow any rotten inner-conversation to proceed from your heart about yourself to yourself, but solely something wholesome to strategically strengthen your soul, according to your immediate need, so it may impart grace to your inner-being in your time of need (a paraphrased application of Ephesians 4:29)

I hope you see this as a circumspect, righteous application of this verse to our topic. I hope you find it helpful.

What type of outcome should we be seeking? How can we be honest about ourselves to ourselves in the sight of God? What is an example of a good, grace giving word? Here’s one: an inner-dialogue that gives confidence in God’s favor. After all, grace (in Greek) means favor. Let’s begin there.

A good word that would edify you and give grace to your soul would be a thought that imparts confidence in God’s favor towards you. This is a reality that can be righteously embraced. It is true and honors the Redeemer who gave Himself to bring you into a state of favor. Consider these words from Romans 5.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1–2)

We stand in grace. We are established in the sphere of favor.

Considering it negatively, let me ask, what about that is not true? Yet, there is always a tendency towards feeling unworthy. As many preachers have emphasized, “But God…”

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:8–10)

God loved you at your absolute worst. God loves you now.

A relevant word, in any circumstance, that would strengthen your heart is that God is for you. You are in the sphere of eternal and immediate favor.

King David put it this way:

This I know, that God is for me. (Psalm 56:9b)

Here’s some immediate context of this fragment:

You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:8–11)

We find the same evaluation of God’s favor in Psalm 118.

The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6)

Reiterating and applying Psalm 56, the writer to the Hebrews wrote:

… we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

It is good to confidently say this, and it is very good to confidently say this to ourselves. It is true.

But what about any apparently just causes for self-condemnation. Ask yourself, “Is God for me?” Answer yourself, “Yes He is.”

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31–32)

We’ve just examined a true, good, living, edifying word that honors God and is always edifying. It is useful for others. When applied by yourself to yourself it will help eliminate spiritually paralyzing self-condemnation and fleshly striving to gain God’s favor.

This is a good word.

If you make it part of your inner-narrative it will give God’s presence within you, pleasure. That’s our goal. Let’s bless God with the meditations of our hearts.

Our next post will begin to identify some prohibited inner-speech from Ephesians 4:29-32. Meanwhile consider this as an inner conversation.

Please reconsider my paraphrased application of Ephesians 4:29:

Let’s pray again:

Abba, let the words I speak and my heart’s deepest thoughts give Your presence pleasure. (paraphrase of Psalm 19:14a)

Consider this script for an inner-narrative:

This is true, God is for me. (Psalm 56:9b)

(Speak to your soul as if you were addressing a friend. Feel free to insert your name: “God is for you.”)

I know that He is for me. (Psalm 56:8–11)

(Speak to your soul as if you were addressing a friend: “God is for you. You can know it. You are growing in this knowledge.”)

I am established in everlasting grace and that same favor applies to me today. (Romans 5:1–2)

(Speak to your soul as if you were addressing a friend: “You are in the sphere of God’s favor. He is for you.”)

He demonstrated His love for me while I was at my absolute worst and He loves me just as fervently, right now. (Romans 5:8–10)

(Speak to your soul as if you were addressing a friend: “God is for you and demonstrated His love for you when you least deserved it. That same quality of love is directed towards you, now.”)

It is true that I am the type of person God favors. (Romans 8:31–32)

(Speak to your soul as if you were addressing a friend: “God is for you. You have been qualified through the Messiah’s sacrifice to be the type of person who experiences His favor.”)

God is for me, therefore I will not fear. (Psalm 118:6; Hebrews 13:6)

(Speak to your soul as if you were addressing a friend: “God is for you, do not fear.”)

This confident inner-dialogue pleases God.

Please turn that into prayer.

Purchase God’s True Love

Or on Kindle

Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

And a book on Leadership

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City

March 31 2021

Day 10

Inner Narrative Pleasing God

I’m glad you are reading about developing a godly inner-narrative. These thoughts are shared so your inner-narrative would bless the God-who-indwells-you. This post is going to begin to focus on the Holy Spirit’s interaction with the meditations of our hearts (Psalm 19:14b).

We know that our Creator hears our inmost thoughts. He hears them from heaven. He hears them from where He dwells in our inner being. He hears them before we open our mouths and He experiences our thoughts before we speak them. Psalm 139 speaks to this reality.

You understand my thought from afar. (Psalm 139:2b)

Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. (Psalm 139:4)

He is so amazing!

This amazing God commanded us to love others and the Scriptures reveal that He is intently aware of the way we speak to them.

Jesus said the good man speaks what is good.

“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; … for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. (Luke 6:45)

There is an aspect of the soul that is in need of exposure, correction and empowered adjustment. Let’s look at self-condemnation and the restorative help of the Holy Spirit.

We were prophetically warned about speaking against our brothers

You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes. (Psalm 50:20–21)

In the same way the LORD stood up for a slandered brother, so is He also standing up for us. He is for us. Father is mindful of how we speak in our hearts to ourselves about ourselves and may react to us. Because He is for us, He might stand against us that He might help us. He resists the proud. Our pride can show itself in self-accusation. It’s like one end of a filthy rag despising and condemning the other end of the same rag. He wants to deliver us.

As in Luke 6, our hearts are to be filled with goodness towards ourselves. Our hearts are to be good and do good to others and to ourselves for the pleasure of God. For His pleasure, we are to store up the equivalent of holy, loving, truth (good treasure) and deliberately meditate upon those realities.

As in Psalm 50, we are not to initiate or participate in a self-accusing inner-narrative. That type of inner speech disregards the LORD’s love for us and depreciates our righteous standing before Him. It is the diabolic equivalent of slandering another person for whom the Messiah died.

We are commanded to speak kindly of others and to others. We are to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men (Titus 3:2).

Since this is so, should we malign ourselves? Should we show mercy to others and not to ourselves? God wants us to be considerate, gentle and peaceable in our hearts towards our own souls. That will give His presence pleasure.

The Spirit of God is affected by what we say and how we say it. He is the Spirit of Truth who cares about our motives. He fills us with the fruit which comes from Him: His character and personality.

God wants the fruit of the Spirit to characterize our congregational life. In like manner, our inner life is also to manifest the Holy Spirit’s nature.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

Here are two questions: Is there a standard of holiness for how we speak to others? Does the living God care about what we say regarding them?

Here are two clear answers: Yes, and, yes.

This standard applies to how we speak about ourselves in the depths of our souls. The goals God has for a corporate expression of the Messiah’s life hold true for our inner being’s manifestation of Jesus’ life. We are being conformed to Jesus’ life. What do you think His inner-narrative was like?

We know that the Spirit who loves us (Romans 15:30) can lead and empower us to express edifying encouragement to those in need. This wonderful Spirit wants to motivate, empower, and lead our thoughts towards ourselves for the same reason.

Therefore, we pray,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Our last two meditations centered in the following verses from Ephesians 4. They read:

No rotten word must proceed from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness. Become kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:29–32 Lexham English Bible)

We began to examine these verses in their original corporate intention and make use of them in developing a godly inner-narrative. We concentrated on verse 29 and now we’re going on to the next verses. The next verses are important.

By way of reminder, here is Ephesians 4:29

No rotten word must proceed from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear,

Here are the next verses:

and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness. Become kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:30–32 Lexham English Bible)

As in verse 29 we find an admonition (No rotten word must proceed from your mouth) followed by a positive command (but only something good for the building up of the need…).

The following verses, oriented towards our relationships with others, can be made immediately relevant to how the meditations of our hearts affect God. As we begin to look at them we discover some remarkable revelations about the nature of the Holy Spirit. Let’s start.

First, we find that rotten words grieve the LORD’s Spirit.

He is called the good Spirit. As such, He wants to fill the believing community with His goodness.

Please note how God’s good Spirit is revealed as our Teacher.

God’s good Spirit instructed them corporately (Nehemiah 9:20).

You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them (Nehemiah 9:20a)

The individual prayed for the same grace (Psalm 143:10).

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. (Psalm 143:10)

A surrendered person has the same qualities as a cooperative congregation. Communities and individuals who receive the Holy Spirit’s instruction experience the impartation of His life.

Along these lines, the believing community is to be filled with wisdom taught by the Holy Spirit (Who is revealed to be good).

I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14b)

Like the corporate expression, each one of us is to be full of goodness, filled with knowledge and able to encourage ourselves. In Psalm 42 we can read an example of the psalmist exhorting his inner-being to embrace truth and maintain hope.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence (Psalm 42:5)

We are to be guided by the Spirit who will disciple us in the way we speak of ourselves, to ourselves. These Holy Spirit led inner-narratives are comprised of goodness, righteousness and truth.

for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5:9)

That is what God wants for us. His apostle exhorted us to speak only something good for the purpose of building up the Body. We know that this is also a guide to our inner-narrative.

Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:6). As our mediator, He is also the way of the Father to us (1 Timothy 2:5). To sanctify our souls for ongoing communion with our Father we have been born of the Spirit (John 17:3). Through the wonderful Spirit’s influence we can relate to ourselves in such a way as to please our Creator. The fruit of the Spirit is not just for the corporate life of a congregation. They are also imparted that we might interact with our souls.

Let us bless the LORD in the meditations of our hearts.

To that end, please pray and ask the living God to empower your soul through the presence of His Spirit.

Father, through receiving Your Spirit’s fruit and wisdom we can learn to further please You in the way we understand ourselves.

Through the Messiah Jesus, increase our capacity to receive Your good Spirit’s instruction.

Teach us how to relate to ourselves in Your presence.

May we be guided and empowered to speak only that which is good, fitting the need of the moment, edifying ourselves that we might better love You and, as a result, more effectively serve You.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Let the words of my mouth and my heart’s deepest thoughts give Your presence pleasure. (my paraphrase of Psalm 19:14)

Purchase God’s True Love

Or on Kindle

Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

And a book on Leadership

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City

March 24 2021

Day 9

Inner Narrative Pleasing God

Let’s review some terms as we go forward in developing a godly inner narrative.

There is a meta-narrative. It is what we find in Scripture regarding the nature of our Creator and how He interacts with the cosmos. There are increasingly smaller narratives, for instance the type of story one learns about the nation in which one lives. Movements have narratives, families have narratives. The way others view you is a type of micro-narrative. The way you view yourself is your inner-narrative. Any of the various stories can be prophetic narratives: interpreting these things from glimpses of God’s point of view. Ultimately, all these interplaying lesser narratives are part of the tapestry of how God sees things. That is the absolutely true meta-narrative.

We’ve established that how you view yourself, how you talk to yourself, is important to God. Therefore we pray:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

I have paraphrased this as:

Let the words of my mouth and my heart’s deepest thoughts give Your presence pleasure. (paraphrase of Psalm 19:14)

We’re continuing to present thoughts about how we speak to ourselves. Last week’s meditation was viewed through the window of a literal definition of the Greek word, sapros. It means decaying, or rotten. To help us in our inner-narrative the first thing we’ll do this week is examine how that word may have evolved in its use and how many translators interpret it. Instead of rotten, sapros is variously translated, from seven different translations, as unwholesome, or foul, or harmful, or corrupt, or evil.

Still, I appreciate the Lexham English Bible’s more literal translation and will continue to use rotten as the baseline definition of sapros. There is something to be said for timely, fresh communication that has not outlived its ripeness. In any event, the verses we’re looking at prohibit certain forms of verbal interactions within the believing community.

Let’s refresh our memories. Here is Ephesians 4:29, again.

Rotten speech’s effect upon a community of believers is similar to the phenomenon of rot in the material world. When something decays, and is in close proximity to that which is not rotten, the decay spreads. Wood rot spreads to other pieces of wood. One bad apple really can spoil an entire barrel of apples. Rot spreads.

Rotten speech within a congregation also spreads and can contaminate an entire fellowship.

The same is true about our inner beings. The entirety of our souls can become diseased if we put up with spiritually compromised strongholds comprised of rotten inner-narratives.

Doesn’t the Messiah deserve a holy congregation?

Do we want to belong to a healthy fellowship of disciples?

If so, we must watch over our own, and one another’s, speech. We are to edify one another by the power of the Holy Spirit guided by the Word of God. This type of interaction gives the Messiah joy.

The Holy Spirit is aware of, and affected by, the quality of our speech with one another. This same Spirit is affected by the nature of our inner speech about others and ourselves.

We want our churches to be healthy. Do we want our souls to be healthy?

If so, we need to become aware of how we speak about ourselves to ourselves. We must be intentionally edifying as we meditate upon our histories and current circumstances. These type of inner conversations strengthen our souls and please the Lord. The Lord is worthy of our souls made whole.

In Ephesians 4:29 we find that Paul followed up this prohibition by offering positive direction. The Messiah’s emissary first forbade rotten speech (No rotten word must proceed from your mouth) and then wrote this: but only something good for the building up of the need, in order to give grace to those who hear.

Here’s an imaginary dialog:

Disciple: Only something good? That seems constrictive.

Mentor: Yes, only.

Disciple: Well, that’s pretty narrow…

Mentor: Yes, it is.

Disciple: Well, what are the characteristics of something good, and why is Paul giving this direction?

His goal was that the believing community would be aware of what would edify each other, as the New American Standard put it, according to the need of the moment. Timely, true, godly, wise, empowered words give grace to those who have ears to hear. The type of grace focused on here is not the “unmerited-favor” type of grace. This grace has to do with “enabling-favor”. In its context that included grace to live in harmony with one another as they were being equipped to minister while they became like Jesus. We all need encouragement, and the believing community is to discipline itself to fulfill the call to mutually edify its members. Unless the Body is built up it will not fulfill its destiny.

Your soul needs to embrace the same type of motivation and discipline as you voice thoughts concerning yourself and your life within your heart. Your grace imparting inner-narrative will delight the Messiah who is present in your inner being through Holy Spirit imparted strengthening faith.

that (Father) would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that [the] Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16b–17a)

Jesus really does dwell within you. As you are edified by your meditations in His presence you will mature and fulfill your calling.

Let’s go back a bit and recall that Paul commanded the community to only communicate something good for the (purpose of) building up. This is relevant to the way we speak about ourselves within our hearts. We are to speak only what is good for the purpose of building up our souls. We are to learn to view our lives, in the sight of the interpersonal God who lives in our heart, in such a way that we edify ourselves. The indwelling God is aware of what we express in our inner thoughts about our lives, our pasts, and our prospects. We are to carefully choose our meditations. We are to intentionally speak only what is good. He wants us to be edified.

A community of Jesus followers who put this into practice will please Adonai. He is actively present in His community and witnesses the insightful, edifying love shared by the members of His Body. If we speak within our souls to ourselves in a similar edifying fashion we will bless God with our meditations. It is just like the maturing community of believers’ relationships please God’s Spirit. As with His interaction with the believing community’s speech, so our heart’s deepest thoughts are voiced in God’s presence

We need God’s help for this. So, please pray:

Lord, I want the words I speak to others, and the words I speak in my heart, to be intentionally good. In the same way I desire to impart enabling favor to others, I desire to edify myself.

I need Your help to be a source of strength for others. I need your help to edify myself, as well.

Help me only speak in my heart what is good concerning myself. As I do this I know that I will give Your presence pleasure, be personally edified, and bring wholeness into the lives of others.

Continue to pray and expect God’s help in transforming your inner-narrative:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight… (Psalm 19:14a)

Or…

Let the words of my mouth and my heart’s deepest thoughts give Your presence pleasure. (my paraphrase of Psalm 19:14)

Purchase God’s True Love

Or on Kindle

Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

And a book on Leadership

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City

March 17 2021

Day 8

Inner Narrative Pleasing God

Please bear with me, I want to reframe the outlook of these meditations.

Here we go…

The Bible teaches that humanity is important to the Creator. God witnesses human words and thoughts. That which we say to others, that which we think and speak about others, can please or displease God. He wants them to experience your love. The same thing is true about how we view and speak about ourselves. We are tasked with constructing an inner narrative which blesses God. This will help us relate to Him, ourselves, and others. Incidentally, this will be good for us.

Incidentally? Yes. I’m seeking to encourage us to develop a godly, holy, inner narrative. Pursuing a holy inner narrative falls under the category of seeking first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. Please read this verse:

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

This verse specifically refers to material provision. However, the principle holds. As we seek to honor our Lord in our meditations and words what we need for emotional and social health “will be added to” us.

The Scriptures contain an enormous amount of instruction about what we say, to whom we should say it, and how we should speak. It is plainly taught that our speech to others is to be strategic. Our capacity to communicate is part of the image of God and should be wisely stewarded.

God’s word is like a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29) and one of the earliest verses that was hammered home to me is Ephesians 4:29. Here it is, in some of its context, from the Lexham English Bible.

No rotten word must proceed_⌋ from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear, ³⁰and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness. ³²Become kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:29–32 Lexham English Bible)

This is a guide for purposeful interpersonal communications and relationships. It is also applicable to intentional inner-personal communication and relationship. What is true of how we are called to relate to others in God’s presence is a key to how we are called to relate to ourselves. We exist in His presence, and His Spirit is manifestly present in us.

The LORD is pleased when our thoughts about others, and the words we speak concerning them, are loving and edifying. Here are two relevant questions: Is God pleased when our meditations and words about ourselves are loving? Does He want us to treat our own souls in a way that He forbids when we interact with others?

This section from Ephesians 4 is a potent guide that has immediate relevance to our topic. Let’s look it over, take it apart, and apply it.

Here is a quick overview: This selection of Scripture begins with a prohibition, immediately leads into positive redirection, points the disciples to their relationship with the interactive Spirit, and reminds them of their eschatological hope. Then it immediately reorients into another prohibition, which leads into positive exhortation, pointing the believers to the goodness of God in the Messiah.

I want us to get the most we can out of these verses.

To begin, let’s ask what is a rotten word?

Rotten is a literal translation of the Greek: sapros (σαπρός). Sapros means rotten, or decayed. When I think of something that is dead and decomposing I consider that at one time it was fully grown, ripe, and ready for consumption. In this verse sapros was used to convey something that is harmful. It is the opposite of something good. Permit me to rely upon Reverend Obvious’ reflection: Paul prohibited communication that was bad for the hearers and bad for the speaker.

I believe that we will be held liable for speaking rotten words. The Messiah Jesus warned about speaking careless, or idle (ἀργός – argos), words.

“But I tell you that every careless (idle) word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. (Matthew 12:36)

This introduces another category of speech. Idle words are merely ineffective. They do not build, but they don’t destroy, either. The unwholesome words warned against in Ephesians 4:29 are harmful. They tear down; they do not edify. They hurt; they do not heal. If worthless words are to be a criteria for judgment, how much more shall words that wound?

This has relevance to the way we speak to ourselves. This provides a meaningful caution to the manner we think about ourselves. Our inner words need to be wholesome. They need to be good. Paul wrote that they need to be timely, too.

Do you know that some advice may be good in one circumstance and not in another? A parent may be encouraged to engage in “tough love” and end up breaking a child’s spirit. Another child may need to know boundaries and the consequences of their actions.

Here are a couple of thoughts…

Do you remember when Israel was told to go and possess the land and they chickened out? There was a time limitation on that word. When they decided, based upon earlier direction, to go and try to conquer on their own they suffered defeat (Numbers 14:39-45). Their timing was way off – by about forty years. They were acting upon a word that was once vibrant, but was now a rotten word.

It would have been a disaster if Abraham decided to follow through with the prior divine calling to sacrifice Isaac. There was a more immediate command he needed to heed. There was an earlier instruction, from a previous visitation, he needed to ignore. The preceding word was no longer relevant (Genesis 22:11-12).

We need to make certain that our words are appropriate and fitting the immediate need. Telling a broken hearted penitent to repent may have been relevant twenty minutes earlier. The same word can permanently break an already fractured soul, or quench the hope of the grieved.

Of the Messiah, it is written:

“A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish (Isaiah 42:3a)

Let’s follow His example. We are wise if we ascertain and ensure that our current meditations and self-talk fits the immediate need.

What makes a word something good? Amongst other things it is suitable for the immediate situation. Discerning the situation may be dependent upon the leading of the Holy Spirit, the clear instruction of the Scriptures and, in more extreme examples, the counsel of the believing community.

This has relevance to how we speak to ourselves. This has relevance to how we speak to ourselves. Note, the fruit of our lips that outlived its ripe season might have rotten consequences if eaten beyond its due date.

Consider yourself in the midst of your own circumstances. What is the true immediate need? Do you know?

To understand that takes time spent in the Scriptures and His presence.

Please pray, once again:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Purchase God’s True Love

Or on Kindle

Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

And a book on Leadership

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City

March 9 2021

Day 7

Inner Narrative Pleasing God

This is the seventh entry about developing a godly inner narrative. Since this is the seventh I thought that, along the lines of the days of the week, we would review what we’ve covered and introduce our next entries.

Recapitulation:

We shared that the ways we think about ourselves often reflect our formerly fully fallen nature, our culture, the way we were raised, and the influence of demonic powers. God wants us to think about ourselves in a manner that pleases Him relying upon the Scriptures and His wonderfully holy Spirit.

Our earlier entries concentrated on this verse:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

This verse points to an interpersonal reality. “In Your sight” literally means “before Your face”. This pertains to a personal relationship that includes the reality of spiritual proximity. The Scriptures teach that God indwells each believer as He once did the temple in Jerusalem. Our innermost thoughts are voiced in His presence.

Sound biblical theology bears witness to this relational dynamic. Our innermost words and silent meditations can please or displease God in whose presence they are voiced.

Some patterns of thought have been forbidden by the Messiah. These include judging others, illicit sexual attraction that goes beyond temptation, anger, etc.

Such prohibitions did not begin with Jesus. The last of the Ten Commandments addressed an attitude, not an action, not words. Here is an encapsulation of the tenth command: Don’t covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Obviously, sinful meditations do not give the Holy One pleasure. However, we who are justified-ones have an opportunity to bless Him with our thoughts including our thoughts about ourselves. Our meditations can delight Him. They can give Him pleasure. We can humble our hearts and get trained by God to think of ourselves in a way He enjoys.

Some patterns of thought are encouraged. For instance, we are encouraged to love God and others with our thoughts. The Great Command includes loving God with our minds (Matthew 22:37-38).

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. (Matthew 22:37–38)

Paul encouraged his disciples to believe the best of one another.

(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things… (1 Corinthians 13:7a)

Such exhortations from Paul can be multiplied.

These verses exemplify meditations that please God.

In addition, I shared that the biblical view of God’s manifest nearness includes the concept of His increased awareness. I know that may seem irrational to those who have been classically theologically trained. However, it is the way the Prophets revealed that God wants us to view Him. Furthermore, it is backed up by holy enscriptured narratives.

By the way, within the realities He constructed, the Creator can relate to His creation any way He wants. If He desires to be especially aware of that which is near His manifest presence, He can.

Here is an example of this reality: the God of Israel being worshiped in the synagogues was of a different quality of holiness than His worship in the Temple. His manifest presence resided in the Holy of Holies. Both priests and people responded accordingly.

Consider this: a statue of Asherah within the Temple precincts was a different level of abomination than the sex-goddess being worshipped in the hinterlands of the holy land. The Temple was special. You are special, too.

How you think about yourself, in proximity to His presence in your inner being, is not observed from afar. We are instructed to believe that our inner-narrative is played out right in front of His face. God is especially present within you and your meditations about yourself can give God pleasure.

Moving On

Let’s get practical in our instruction.

Our innermost meditations are often filled with talking to ourselves. How might we speak to ourselves in a way that gives God’s presence pleasure? We can please God when we speak to ourselves in the same manner we might please God when we speak to others. This is also true when we speak about ourselves to our own souls in the way we speak well about others.

The reverse is also true.

Here’s an example of some guidance in this regard. Paul exhorted:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

When we speak to others we are to aim towards building them up. The maturing disciple is called to communicate in a way that encourages their brethren. The Spirit of the Lord will give us wisdom as to what to say. We can rely upon God’s guidance to offer loving wisdom. As we do we can please Father in what we say and how we say it. God hears the way we speak to them.

Do you agree?

If you do, then here’s some follow-up truth: we are to speak to ourselves the same way we would speak to someone we love and want to comfort or encourage. If someone we loved was discouraged about life would we gang up on them and help them beat themselves up? If that beloved one deeply disappointed us and was sincerely grieved about what they did, or failed to do, would we harshly judge them and offer no mercy?

If we did, would God be pleased? He is certainly aware of this type of thing. Here’s a significant verse that reinforces this:

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. (James 5:9)

We’re called to encourage and offer wholesome counsel to others. We can speak to ourselves in the same way. If we do it will give God’s presence pleasure.

On the negative side of things, we are not permitted to insult people. Please revisit this instruction from the Sermon on the Mount:

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. (Matthew 5:22)

You’ve just re-read the record of Jesus the Messiah’s instruction. He said a) we’re not to nurse anger towards others; b) we are not to speak to people in a way that robs them of their self-worth; c) we are not to mock and demean others. That type of speech is unacceptable. It does not give Him pleasure.

There are people out there who have mercilessly called themselves, “idiots.” That is one example of a self-demeaning narrative that does not give God’s presence pleasure. There are others who have expressed angry thoughts to themselves, about themselves, due to deep regret about choices they’ve made.

You may know someone like this.

It might even be you.

For the sake of pleasing God’s indwelling presence consider what you might say to your own soul that would be in accord with Ephesians 4:29. Let’s make it personal.

Let no unwholesome word be heard within your heart about yourself as you speak to your own soul. Instead, cultivate an inner narrative that is good for your own edification, according to your immediate need, so that your meditations will give you grace.

Please pray:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Purchase God’s True Love

Or on Kindle

Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

And a book on Leadership

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City