Thriving In a Season of Chastising, Part III

This is my second post for today, but I wanted to post the notes from today's Beth Moore's study on Life Today, "Thriving In a Season of Chastising" (part III). I encourage the reader to read each scripture reference.
What happens when we cause our suffering, our own consequences? We're full of regret. How do we deal with that? Nothing is more complex than that, when old consequences go on after you've been healed. What do you do then?
You may be dealing with consequences from sin, pride, self-righteousness, a poor business or financial decision, going ahead when "something" told you not to, an infidelity, etc. What should you do?
Know your place in God and in the Body of Christ. Hebrews 12:5-13. Endure hardship, even though it's hard. It's a part of Fatherly discipline, and it is for your good.
Hebrews 12:15. Don't miss the Grace of God! Even though it's your own fault, there's Grace for you.
Remember the difference between consequence and chastisement:
Consequence: the natural order of God as boss (you reap what you sow; it's the same for the believer and the unbeliever)
Chastisement: God's supernatural order as Father (His Abba love for you, His favored child)
When we allow God to overtake our consequences, they become part of a teaching process.
Psalm 103:10-13. God doesn't treat us as our sins deserve. God only allows the consequences to come to pass that will teach us. It is never correction for the sake of correction. It is not punishment. It will teach us. The consequences help us know that this isn't where we want to be. They help us get to the place where we're ready to change.
What makes a season of chastisement so difficult is that we have to accept our fault in the matter. We cannot "get on with it" until we do that. Hebrews 12:5b. God "rebukes" us. The word "rebukes" means to point out a fault. When He does that, accept it and learn from it.

In a Season of Chastising

What Beth Moore taught this morning on Life Today was too good not to share. "Thriving In a Season of Chastising: The Teaching Nature of God." Here are the notes I took, and I encourage you to look up and read each scripture reference.
Sometimes we cause our own suffering (painful consequences). We've done it to our self. How do we deal with that? Our problems are the result of, for example, our own pride, poor financial decisions, going forward despite a warning deep within, etc. It catches up with us in consequences & Fatherly chastisement.
Heb. 12:5-13. Discipline produces righteousness & peace.
Heb. 12:15. You cannot deserve grace. There is grace, even when you blew it!
The difference between consequences & chastisement:
Consequences are part of the natural order of God as Boss. It's the same for the believer & non-believer: You reap what you sow.
Chastisement is the supernatural order of God as Father.
*When we allow God to overtake our consequences, they become part of a teaching process.
Ps. 103:10-13. God does not treat us as we deserve, thankfully.
IF A CONSEQUENCE WILL TEACH US, GOD WILL ALLOW IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE NEED TO REPENT BUT WE'RE NOT REPENTING. Consequences get us to the place where we're ready to change. Heb. 12:5b.
WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE FAULT WE HAVE TO ACCEPT. Accept your responsibility in the matter. Be willing to "own it." No one is totally innocent. Until you accept responsibility, you won't be able to "get on with it."
This was the first part of the teaching. I want to remember to catch the show one week from today, to hear more. I need this. Anyone else need it, too?

Life Plan Devotion #63 [God's Armor--Belt of Truth]

The Roman soldier of biblical times took special care of his armor. He knew that without it, he wouldn't stand a chance against his enemy. The same is true of the Christian soldier, who faces spiritual warfare and an enemy who will try to fight dirty. Take care to put on each piece of the Armor of God, every day.
The first piece of armor you must put on is the Belt of Truth. When I first read the key passage in Ephesians 6:14, I found it odd that the belt of truth is listed first, until I studied about the pieces of a soldier's armor and discovered that his belt is what held the rest of the armor together. It held the breastplate in place, made sure the soldier's tunic stayed put (so as not to be tripped up during battle), and contained the sheath for the soldier's sword or dagger. The belt was crucial.
For the believer, the Belt of Truth is crucial, if one is to be victorious in daily spiritual warfare with the enemy, Satan, and his minions. Ephesians 6:12 says that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," and because we war against supernatural beings, we need supernatural assistance. God has provided that, with the full armor of God, and the foundation of it all is Truth.
Truth must be present in two places, our heart and our mind. Holding anything else (especially malice and bitterness, which are falsehoods) puts a big dent in our armor and leaves us wide open to demonic attack. Our prayers of faith will be rendered ineffective if we do not wear the belt of truth.
Truth in our heart means serving God with the right motives, and loving and serving others with sincerity. It is being honest, in everything we say and do. Truth in the mind means having clarity of sound doctrine. It's knowing what you believe, knowing that God's Word is absolute truth, knowing what Christ has done for you, and having that translate into godly living. Truth in our heart makes us sincere and teachable before God. Truth in the mind helps to strengthen our spirit (mind, will, and emotions) to serve the Lord. Truth in the heart and mind keeps us rooted and grounded in Christ and acting on what we know is true.
Next time, we'll find out how to put on the Belt of Truth and what to do if we let it slip. Until then, pay attention to how well you're living a truthful life and whether or not you're allowing God's truth to hold your life together.

Ephesians 6:14 [NIV]
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist."

What this has to do with weight loss: Obesity has, at its very core, a foundation of lies. The obese person has fallen prey to the lie that he/she can eat anything wanted and not suffer the consequences. His/her life is full of excuses, which is the cleaned up version of lies. If we are ever going to be victorious in the area of weight loss, we must get honest about where we are and how we got there. We must drop all excuses, take responsibility, and determine to live an honest life, including our weight-loss journey and all that entails.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I desire to live an honest, truthful life. I want my heart to be full of sincerity and my mind to be full of truth, so much so that my daily walk mirrors that. May I harbor no falsehoods, for I know that if I do, I am open to attack from the enemy. Help me to daily choose to put on Your Armor, beginning with the Belt of Truth. I pray in the Name of Jesus who said, 'I am the...Truth.' Amen."

Go forth today, with the Belt of Truth on and evident in your life.

Life Plan Devotion #4 [Consequences]

Everyone makes mistakes, dumb moves, mess ups. Most consider the resulting consequence the hardest part, but I have come to know that the consequence is the best part. It is the consequence that gives one the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson--the first time, hopefully.
What consequences have you experienced: debt, bitterness, guilt, shame, regret, missed opportunities, need for forgiveness, loss of joy, need for repentance, need to pay retribution, having to face delays (in whatever form)? Whatever your consequence, once you've been there, done that, you never want to go back.
When you choose to live outside God's truth, you will experience painful consequences. These consequences are as natural as burning your finger when you touch a hot stove. They are not punishments sent from a vindictive God. For every cause there is an effect. It's the same in the spiritual world as in the natural world. The purpose of the effect is to drive one back to the cause, where there is a valuable lesson to be learned and personal/spiritual growth to be had.

Isaiah 59:2 [NIV]
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God..."

Joel 2:25 [NLT]
"The LORD says, 'I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts...'"

What this has to do with weight loss: It is a very painful moment, when one realizes that one's choices in the area of eating and lack of tending to one's body have culminated in excess weight, weakness, and, often, sickness and/or disease. To do anything other than care for one's body, our gift from God, is sin. Because it is sin, we are assured that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9, KJV). After that, with God's help, we begin anew, doing all we can to live an abundant life, in the healthy body God created for us, knowing that God will do His part--doing for/in us that which we cannot do for ourselves.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I do not want my iniquities to separate me from You, so I want to tell You how sorry I am for my sins. Please forgive me today, and shower me with unmerited grace. Thank You that You, as my good and loving Father, discipline me, as would any good and loving parent. Help me to grow, more than I could ever imagine, through consequences that are allowed by You. Only You offer freedom, healing, hope, and a secure future--before, during, and after the necessary consequences. For those consequences that I have faced that were not caused by sin in my life, thank You for seeing me through. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, and learn from every consequence.