First Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We are a spirit, a soul, and a body. Our spirit is to take lead over our soul – our mind and emotions, and definitely over our body or flesh, which too often gravitates to what every feels good (or tastes good).
When we let our spirit be trained in how to think, how to respond, how to act, then when our emotions want to go to places they shouldn’t such as offense, discouragement, depression, loneliness, self-pity, etc., we can let our spirit redirect those emotions to follow the instruction and promise of God’s Word. He always lifts us to a better place.
The next verse, First Thessalonians 5:24, says, “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” Isn’t it interesting that the Lord talks about us being a spirit, soul, and body and follows up talking about peace and how God is faithful and will bring things to pass?
He wants us to be complete. He wants us to be in peace and He wants us to trust Him and remain in faith. In order to be led by your spirit – your spirit following the Holy Spirit, you must be in faith.
True faith, faith in God and faith in His promises alone will get rid of fear and unbelief. True heart faith only comes through letting the Lord reveal His Word and His promises to your heart.
They are the beginning of becoming “strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” They are the source of developing emotional stability. They are the key to leaving emotional instability behind.
We all learned simple math early in school didn’t we? Let me give you a truth that is the same as simple math. It’s as solid as a mathematical equation. Are you ready? Here we go. Your expectation equals your faith.
Now chew on that. Your expectation will reveal exactly where you faith is. Is it important to know where your faith is? Absolutely!
The Bible says that without faith it’s impossible to please God and that faith is what God responds to. So, concerning your faith…you are either in it or your not. You are either in faith in what God promises or you are in unbelief, believing what fearful things the devil would like you to believe. Unbelief toward God will hinder the answer to your prayers.
So what is your expectation? Just listen to your mouth for a while, you will find out. Whether you like it or not, your mouth eventually spills your expectation.
If you are all over the map instead of faith and trust in God, then your emotions are also probably all over the map. If you are strong in trusting God, your emotions are also probably steady as she goes.
Don’t put your faith in imagination or simply what you hope. Find out what promises God is speaking to you and when you do, stand strong on them. Pray them. Thank God for them.
When you feel the devil trying to cause you to waver, declare them out loud and rebuke and resist the devil in Jesus name. You will become stable and a person of faith!
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Timothy Burt is a pastor, author, and writer. He is best known as the author of Fresh Manna, a daily devotional and online Bible study.
Pastor Tim became a part of the leadership team at Living Word Christian Center in 1984 and was an Associate Pastor from 1989 until May 31st, 2017. He and His wife Renee, also a Pastor at Living Word, resigned after being a part of Living Word for 33 years on May 31, 2017. They felt impressed by God to pursue the tremendous growth of their ministry "Fresh Manna," as well as teaching conferences and seminars and increasing their involvement in the mission field through Tim and Renee Burt Ministries. Tim has a Bachelor of Theology degree and is a Christian blogger who has been writing a daily inspirational and teaching devotion three days a week called "Fresh Manna" for the past 22 years. It has been read in over 227 countries (official countries and territories). Tim was named one of the top 55 blogging Pastors. He is one of the top Social Media influencers in Minnesota with a strong presence on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TimBurt with over 187,000 followers. Between Tim's Fresh Manna Devotional and Twitter influence, he virally averages reaching over 4 million people daily with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
Prior to working at LWCC, he worked at Northwest Airlines for 13 years. In 1985 he founded and was President of American Infant Care Products which marketed his patented invention, the first fold-down commercial infant changing table now used worldwide in public restrooms.
In their tenure at Living Word, Timothy Burt and his wife Renee created a Small Group Ministry when the church was about 800 people in size. Under the leadership of Sr. Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond, the church grew to over 10,000 people. Pastor Tim and Renee led a diverse Small Group Ministry of over 200 groups. Tim also led weekly men's groups and a monthly Men's Breakfast of 250 plus men called Manhood for 27 years. Tim's responsibilities also included oversight over the Visitor and Member Relations Department, Leadership and Volunteer Development, and the Pastoral Care Department. Pastor Tim was also the Minnesota State Director of Christians United for Israel from 2006 thru 2017.
Tim and Renee are the parents of four children and have seven grandchildren. Tim loves to write, golf, run, and walk, and is a master gardener. He is a five-time marathon finisher. He is also a three-time award-winning gardener winning the Grand Prize in his city for his beautiful home garden and is a Master Gardener for the University of Minnesota's Master Gardener Extension Program.