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Everyday Peacemaker

Peacemaker Ministries Devotion: Motives

by P. Brian Noble / May 17, 2021

Scripture

Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me, “You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord says: That is what you are thinking, house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your mind…”(Ezekiel 11:5, CSB)

Thoughts

Ezekiel is telling the Israelites that God’s Spirit revealed to him the rebellion that was being planned by the leaders of his day. This is relevant to us today. As King David wrote,

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

    you discern my thoughts from afar.(Psalm 139:2, ESV)

God discerns our thoughts; he knows how we think. He understands every aspect of our lives. To me, it’s exciting that God knows our intent and understands our motivation. When people see our actions, they think they know our motives but only God truly does. It’s freeing to know that he knows because we can be real with him.

The thoughts of the righteous are just;

   the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.(Proverbs 12:5, ESV) 

Instead of rebellion filling our minds, we want our thoughts to align with God’s. When someone rubs us the wrong way, we can be intentional about controlling our thoughts so they don’t run amuck. Begin to take hold of unloving thoughts and ideas that sneak into your mind. These two translations of 2 Corinthians 10:5 are helpful for reminding us of this:

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.(ESV)

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.(NIV) 

Application

What thoughts do you need to get hold of today? What attitudes are not in obedience to the Lord? In your conflict, or in other relationships, what thoughts dominate your thinking? I strongly encourage you to destroy any arguments and lofty opinions that “rise up against the knowledge” you have about God. Learn to capture your thoughts and make them submit to Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, help me to humbly identify my thoughts that need to go. Instead, I want to think about your truths and hold onto loving thoughts…. Continue praying

Tags: devotion, Discernment

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P. Brian Noble

P. Brian Noble

P. Brian Noble is an everyday guy who loves Jesus. He has been married to his best friend, Tanya, for 20 years and they have four children; they currently reside in eastern Washington. Brian has a Master of Arts in missional leadership from Northwest University. He is the Executive Director/CEO of Peacemaker Ministries. An ordained minister for the past 20+ years (3 years as a Youth Pastor, 14 years as a Senior Pastor, and 4 years as an Executive Pastor), he proclaims hope through the gospel message as the Holy Spirit empowers believers in their daily walk. He believes in the power of the Word of God to transform lives. He has been a Certified Christian Conciliator since 2008, with 1000+ hours of conflict coaching and mediation experience. His caseload has ranged from husband and wife cases, to family farm, to public schools, and even county government. Brian has taught peacemaking in local jails and even internationally in Uganda. His hope is that every Christian reconciles their differences in a way that glorifies God. His hope is that every Christian recognizes they are a Peacemaker before they try to do peacemaking. Finally, his hope is that every Christian reconciles by making authentic peace that blends justice, mercy, and humility.

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