The Peaceable Fruit of Righteousness

(KJV) Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

As you grow in your walk with God, you will discover that one of the strongest forces you'll have to face and overcome is your own flesh! Your flesh will try to oppose you, stand against you, and coax you into believing that you can do a little but still get a lot.If you're going to be mightily used by God, your flesh must be disciplined so it can become an instrument through which the Holy Spirit can flow. You have to pay the price of crucifying the flesh in order to have the resurrection power of Jesus Christ expressed through your life.If you look at a child with no parental guidance or discipline, you'll see exactly what the flesh does when it has its own way. The child will probably lie around, watch television, and eat junk food from morning till evening. And any person who lets his flesh do what it wants will most likely adopt the same lifestyle! That's why dealing with the flesh is almost like chastening a child. The flesh must be controlled, corrected, and made to obey even if it wants to do otherwise. The process is painful, but the rewards are eternal!


This is what Hebrews 12:11 is talking about when it says, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." The word "chastening" in this verse is the Greek word paideia, an old Greek word for the education or instruction of a child. It comes from the word pais, the Greek word for a boy. However, as time passed, the word paideia came to signify the education of all children. By the time of Plato, the word paideia included not only the education of children, but also of adults. The concepts of discipline and regimen were so intrinsically interwoven in this word that in Luke 23:16 and 22, the verb form of the word paideia is translated as the word "chastise" and refers to Jesus being whipped or scourged as punishment.



So when this verse speaks of "chastening" in Hebrews 12:11, it refers to disciplinary attitudes and actions that lead toone's betterment in life or to one's education. The fact that this word canalso be translated as a whip, a scourge, or punishment explicitly tells us that rigid discipline is required for the flesh to be chastened and changed so that fruit can be produced in one's life. The word paideia describes not only the process of education and change, but also the attitude required to bring about these benefits. An attitude of discipline is obligatory if the flesh is ever to make the needed changes. Although the benefits of disciplining the flesh are too many to list, Hebrews 12:11 informs us that when this disciplinary process is in full force, it doesn't seem joyous but rather feels "grievous." The word "grievous" is the word lupe, the Greek word for pain, distress, trouble, grief, or sorrow. Although the discipline itself is good for us and provides us with the means to change, the flesh hates it when discipline is forced on it!



Haven't there been moments when your flesh screamed indisgust at the idea of discipline and commitment? It may be painful for theflesh to be crucified, but it is essential if you're going to render your flesh dead to sin and alive to God so He can transform it into an instrument through which His power and wisdom can flow!

Hebrews 12:11 says that this discipline will yield "... the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." The word "exercised" is the Greek word gumnadzo. This word gumnadzo depicts radical discipline! It was the word the ancient Greeks used to portray the athletes who exercised, trained, and prepared for competition in the often barbaric athletic games of the ancient world. It is where we get the word gymnasium.



This word gumnadzo ("exercise") portrays people who want to develop and change so much that they are willing to put themselves through vigorous, demanding, and strenuous discipline in order to bring about change and to achieve the results they desire. Now Hebrews 12:11 uses the word gumnadzo to tell us that if we will discipline the flesh, we will see greatresults in our lives, for we will begin to yield "... the peaceable fruit of righteousness...."



Let's face it—there is nothing more thrilling than to see progress in your life. But to get the kind of progress you desire, you will be required to do something more than you've been doing. You will have to say no to your flesh, denying its appetites and disciplining yourself to do what God says even if your flesh doesn't want to do it. This process often feels long and laborious, but afterward when you can see and appreciate the results, you'll be so glad you didn't quit! So let the Holy Spirit exercise His discipline in your life. If you'll pay theprice to crucify your flesh and to submit yourself to discipline, it will pay off with big dividends. You may not see immediate, tangible results while you are training and preparing. But eventually you will see the fruit of your labor, and you'll be so glad you took your flesh to school and taught it toobey!



MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I admit that I need help in bringing discipline to my flesh and my emotions. Forgive me for being too easy on myself and help me to be fiercely committed to bringing my body and my flesh under the control of the Holy Spirit. I want to be Your instrument so Your power can flow freely through me. So please help me today to submit to Your Word and to the control of Your Spirit. From this day forward, I purpose to no longer give my flesh the freedom to have its way in my life!

I pray this in Jesus' name!



MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I declare that the Word of God and the Spirit of God are working inside me! Every day my flesh is being rendered inoperative and my body is responding less and less to sin as I reckon myself alive unto God. I am God's instrument. His power flows through me. Because I am allowing God to bring discipline into my life on a daily basis, I have become a mighty weapon He can use to set people free and to make a significant difference in the world around me!I declare this by faith in Jesus' name!



QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

What is the number-one area in your life in which you know you need more discipline?



What have you been doing to bring discipline to that part of your life?



If you haven't yet made any plans to change in this area of your life, what steps do you plan to take now that you've read today's devotional?



Do you want to stay the way you are, or do you want to bring that part of your life under the control of the Word and the Holy Spirit?



Name three areas of your life (such as diet, emotions,thought life, laziness, etc.) that used to be out of control but are now successfully crucified and brought under the control of the Holy Spirit.



It may be painful for the flesh to be crucified, but it is essential if you're going to render your flesh dead to sin and alive to God so He can transform it into an instrument through which His power and wisdom can flow!

A Rescinded Report (devotional from 3/28/2011)

Isaiah 53:1-““Who has believed our report?..”

Most days I have to make myself watch the news because of the depressing mood I feel after doing so. There are times when I feel like, “if it were not for bad news, we’d hear no news at all.” The media fills the airways with reports such as: scandals amongst professional athletes, a shaky economy, destruction, wars (and rumors of wars), murders, natural catastrophes—from tsunamis to storms (to include hurricanes, tornadoes, and snowstorms) to forest fires…It’s no wonder that Smith Wigglesworth, one of the “fathers of the faith,” didn’t read the newspaper or even allow one in his home!



One of the enemy’s greatest tactics is to bombard us with negative information in an attempt to get us to believe his report. The kingdom of darkness deals with facts; while the Kingdom of God is grounded in truth. (John 17:17) It could be factual that your life is in disarray, but the truth is that God will “keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You (The Lord)” (Isaiah 26:3) You could have evidence that your finances are flaky, but if you’ve been faithful to God in tithes and offerings, the truth is your “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) There could be a situation that appears too great for anyone to work out, but the truth is that our God is “…able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)



The question this morning is the same one Isaiah posed thousands of years ago, “Who has believed our report?..” Believe that God is able to rescind the enemy’s report and turn your situation around…today!



Let’s Pray:
“Father, we pray for faith to believe Your Report, regardless of what our eyes see, how we feel, or what’s been reported before. Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, help us to hear the right words today regarding our situations, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil,that I may not cause pain!”
The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10



Daily Confession:
Father, I thank You for making me the head and not the tail

Above only and not beneath

The lender and not the borrower

The conqueror and not the conquered



I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness

And for delivering my life from death and destruction

So that I shall live and not die to declare your works



I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body today

For by Your Stripes I'm healed

I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed

Because You're keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee



I confess that there shall not be any lack in my life today

For my God shall supply all my needs according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus

Thank You that all things are working together for my good

And that You always cause me to triumph



This is the day that you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

In Jesus, Name, amen.

Today's Daily Devotional shared with us by Christ The Healers very own Elder Rashidah Leverett

On Sunday evening May 16th, 2010 Bishop Calvin Locket preached a sermon entitled "The Question of Identity", the text came from Acts 19:11-15. The seven sons of the chief priest Scheva tried to "call out" a evil spirit in Jesus name (paraphrasing).

This morning as I reflected back on the message, I could not get the words of the 'evil spirit' out of my mind, "but the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you? (v 15, ESV). How did the evil spirit "know" specifically Paul and Jesus? Because both Paul and Jesus had certain things in common that the sons of Scheva did not. One,they encountered evil on a continuous basis! (WOW! God's been talking to me.)

For example,

1. Jesus was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-13)-EVIL!
2. Jesus was rejected by his people (Luke 4:23-28)-EVIL!
3. Jesus was kissed them betrayed by his friend (Luke:47-48)-EVIL!
4. Paul was forceed out of the city for preaching Jesus (Acts13.50)-EVIL!
5. Paul & Barnabas were stoned for preaching Jesus (Acts 14:5)-EVIL!
6. Paul & Silas were beaten and jailed for teaching Jesus (Acts 16:19-30)-EVIL!

Another commonality between Paul and Jesus was "they were filled with the Holy Spirit" (see Luke 4:1 and Acts 13:2,4,19). So for the sons of Scheva to be so bold as to think that they were powerful enough to "call out" a evil spirit and yet not allow the Holy Spirit to "send them" was a very arrogant act.

But I can't judge the sons of Scheva, I too have thought I could claim the power that Jesus had over evil, but not have His power take authority over the evil in my life. We think as long as we are Christians, evil will not touch us. Not so! The truth is because we are Christians "evil is ever present." We have to know that only through the power of the Holy Spirit can evil be defeated. Evil will stand in our faces and make a mockery of our power like it did the sons of Scheva. They enemy knows who the counterfeit believers are. My advice is, don't let evil make a fool out of us!

Dear God, Only through your son Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit can we overcome evil. Give us faith so as to allow Jesus to rule our lives, so when evil comes, it won't make a mockery of our power. In Jesus Name, Amen

REMEMBERING THE CROSS

John 12:32: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

Jesus died by crucifixion and crucifixion was designed to be the most humiliating and degrading of all deaths. The Cross was reserved for slaves, foreign criminals, and political enemies. It (The Cross) was for those considered to be the lowest of the low and the worse of the worst. In an attempt to save Him from being crucified, Pontius Pilate ordered that Jesus be scourged or flogged by the Roman soldiers. He was stripped of all His Clothing and tied to a post by His Wrists with His Hands high enough over His Head to virtually lift him off the ground. His Feet dangled, and The Skin on His Back and Buttocks was completely taut and exposed. One or two lectors or scourge-bearers then began to deliver blows to Jesus with a flagrum or a whip with long, leather tails. His whip probably had metal weights or even bits of sheep bones braided into the straps. The iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones literally cut into the innermost layer of His Skin. Each time Jesus was struck, His Skin would literally be torn away, and His Muscles were probably deeply lacerated. Physicians say that His liver and kidneys may have been bruised, His Ribs were cracked and they may have punctured His Lung and given Him what was called a pneumothorax in the process. A crown of thorns that were 2-3 inches long was then pressed into His Skull, baptizing His Face with blood. A purple robe was thrown across His Shoulders and Back, and the soldiers mocked Him by spitting on Him and beating Him with reeds as they said, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They paraded Him around the fortress courtyard and threw objects at Him from the gallery. He was then stuck across His Head with a measuring rod as He was scourged even further. Finally, they beat Him with their fists and shamelessly spewed more of their phlegm in His Face before sending Him back to Pilate.

After being sentenced to die by crucifixion, Jesus began His Ascent up the Vio Dolorosa or “The Road of Sorrows” to die on Calvary’s Cross. All the while Jesus was stumbling up Calvary, He was being beaten and taunted by the Roman soldiers. When they got to the top of the hill, the crossbeam was taken off their necks and laid on top of the other piece of wood that formed The Cross. The team of four soldiers assigned to Jesus stripped and then pushed Him down on The Cross. He was held down by one soldier laying across His Chest, another cross His Legs, while two others stretched out His Arms and drove five-inch long, three-eights-inch square nails through the inside part of Both His Wrists. They bent His knees, placed His Feet flat against the wood, and drove a nail through each Foot. The biggest mistake they made was to elevate or to lift up the Cross. They should have let Jesus die on the ground because He said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (John 12:32) Because of the Cross and Jesus’ Victory over death, hell, and the grave, people from all races, cultures, and nationalities can now come to Jesus.

The exhortation today is to remember The Cross and to appreciate how Jesus suffered to redeem us back to God.

Let’s Pray: Father, thank You for the Cross of Christ and Your Victory over death, hell, and the grave, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daily Prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my territory,

that Your hand would be with me,

and that You would keep me from evil,

that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Questions to Ponder:

Who helped Jesus carry His Cross up to Calvary?
How long did Jesus hang on The Cross?
What Words does the Bible record Jesus saying when He felt as if God The Father had forsaken Him?