WORD Watchers Ministry
Bible Studies

Time

I’m beginning to see the importance of time.

We live in such a fast paced world. Everything we do is by the clock. We eat; run errands, play, work, sleep every aspect of our lives is controlled by the clock.

Often times I’ve been frustrated by the clock. There never seems to be enough time, not enough hours in a day.

But lately I’ve begun to see the importance of time, time as given to us as a blessing from God.

We often think of time in large segments. Years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes. But I think the greatest segment of time that God has given us is the second.

The very moment that we are living in is the one we should be focused on and enjoying best we can. It is the present and it only last for a second. It’s the now we are living in. We can’t ever get it back. We need to make the best of it. God wants us to be living in it trusting in Him and sharing with Him our hurts and problems so they can be taken care of and we can go on with Him with joy in our hearts. Not living in the past or worry about the future. Then we have no joy in our hearts for the present.

Our past from a second ago and back is behind us, if we have asked forgiveness for wrongs done, or help for hurts in our lives, maybe even unforgiveness or bitterness then that is all forgiven and forgotten.

Our future, beyond this very second, is not promised to us. But God does promise to never leave or forsake us, so, we know that what time we do live past this second is to be lived to the fullest with the help of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

{Yes we do have to use wisdom and prepare for the future like for retirement, college, life plans. But we are suppose to live giving those things to God expecting His help not living in stress and worry. There is no joy in that. Then we are living in the future and not the present. }

The following study is one that God has given me to help me to realize the importance of the blessing of time that He has given to us. Before we start our study on time lets lay a foundation by looking up these two words first and you will begin to see as we go along how they fit in the study.

OUR Thoughts

2 Cor 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; KJV

God has been teaching me what it means to "bring ‘every’ thought" into the obedience of Christ. I looked up the word ‘thought’ in the Webster’s dictionary and the word ‘emotion’ in the World Book Encyclopedia. This is what I found.

1. Webster’s Dictionary

1. The act of process of thinking: mental activity: thought as well as action wearies us.
2. The capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning, imagining, etc.
3. A consideration of reflection: thought of death terrified him.
   

   II. Emotion

1. The World Book Encyclopedia

1. Emotion is a ‘stirred up’ reaction, such as love, fear, anger or grief.
2. According to psychologists, an emotion is aroused when a man or an animal views something as either bad or good.
3. An emotion does not have to be aroused by something in the outside world. It can be created by the persons thoughts.

God is very up front with us about our thoughts. He tells us what kinds of things to think on. In Philippians 4:8 it tells us, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." KJV

Those facts we just read about thought, (written without God’s ways in mind that we read in the dictionary and the encyclopedia), show what our thoughts can do to influence us either positively or negatively. Remember the following two examples?

{Thoughts can weary us as well as activity. A person can experience reactions to a thought as if the experience was really happening to him (as in ‘thought of death terrified him ’)}

God knows that our thoughts have a continuing effect on us. In Nehemiah 8:10 God tells us that "The joy of the Lord is our strength.’ KJV The only way to have strength is to not loose our joy. The only way to get joy and keep it, is to be in the presence of God. Psalm 16:11 In thy presence is fullness of joy. To keep our thoughts pure by thinking only on those things that are good and pure as we are told in Philippians 4:8.With keeping our minds on only these kinds of things how can we help but have joy in our hearts. Yes life is hard. Terrible things happen all around us or sometimes to us. But God wants us to give those things to Him and not dwell on them so He can take the hurt and bitterness or what ever it is and help us so we can again dwell on good things and have joy. God is a good God and wants only good things for us. We are His children, and He loves us with a love beyond measure.

Please take a moment and look at the following timeline. It is showing us segments of time by the second. I know it looks like a simple timeline but let it soak in for a minute before you go on. In this study we will do a section on the past, present, and the future. I hope you get as excited about this perspective as I have. It has helped me through a lot.

The Past

God understands us so well. He understands that if we look back from just a moment ago until our first memories as a child, that we may find that we have hurts, broken hearts, broken dreams, sorrows and grief’s.

We also can know that with all God’s understanding toward us, that He has compassion on us. Compassion that is new every morning, as a new day is given to us. His compassion does not wear out or wear thin. It is new every morning and is just as full as ever before. Lam 3:22-23 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. KJV

In the dictionary compassion reads "A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for an others suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a desire to alleviate that pain or remove the cause."

God shows us His desire to help us through His total giving of Himself through Jesus. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Isa 53:4-5 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. KJV

Through Jesus’ death on the cross He made away for sin and hurt to be taken from us and healed. God does not want us to be tormented by thoughts of past sin or hurt. We can’t let the enemy steal our joy.!!! {as discussed under thoughts. This is a good example}

All we have to do is confess our hurts and sins to God and He will forgive us and help us. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. KJV

Sometimes, along with hurts, come sin because of the way we have tried to deal with them. Unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, strife, hard heartedness, these things are not of God and He does not want us to have these things as part of our lives. An example of this is in James 3:14-17 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. KJV

In Luke it tells us that one of the reasons that Jesus came was to heal the broken hearted. Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, {19} To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. KJV

God not only made a way for our sins to be forgiven, but also to be forgotten. Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. We can also find this in Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. KJV What an awesome love this is!!

God has been showing to me, in all of this, that He wants our thoughts to be peaceful and pure. Not thoughts of hurts and sin. He went to great lengths to show us this and to make it possible for it to be carried out in our lives.

God is also showing me that if we do confess things and get them forgiven, forgotten and healed that we should not still be tormented by them.

If we are, then we are being lied to by our enemy satan. He is the accuser of the brethren and the father of lies. Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Also in John 8:44b He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. KJV

I feel like God is saying then, that anything in our past that is forgiven is forgotten. If not, then the devil is lying to us and trying to make us believe something that is not true.

God is also saying that anything in our past that is NOT confessed, forgiven and forgotten is in our present and is fair game for the enemy to use to torment us.

I believe it is ground that the enemy can get us on because it is not under the blood of Jesus, through the cross. To me, an example of this is in Eph 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. KJV

Through Jesus, God wants our past to be our past, not our present. We need to be like Paul when he said in Phil 3:13-14b Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.KJV

God, I pray for myself and anyone else who might read this study. Help us to recognize things in our attitudes and thoughts that do not line up to the guidelines you have given us for thought. Help us please to sort through our hurts and feelings to get down to the bottom line. What is sin that we need to ask forgiveness for and what is hurt that needs healed. Help us please Lord Jesus, to press on towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. I want and need all that is mine in Christ Jesus. I also want to be all I can be for you through Jesus. Lord Jesus please help us all. Thank you, Amen.

THE FUTURE

Matt 6:24-34

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. KJV

God is trying to show us a truth about Himself and about ourselves, while at the same time showing us how to put life into perspective the way God knows it should be.

God is showing us His faithfulness and ability to care for His creations, with us being more important to Him then any things else that He has created.

This also shows us that God knows it is in us to worry and be consumed by these concerns to the point of loosing perspective and right direction in our lives.

To have proper perspective and direction in our life, we have to put God first above everything else in our life. He wants to carry the responsibility for our life and the providing for us, so we do not become consumed by these things and miss out on blessings and direction that God has for us.

In Phil 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. KJV

God knows that the ‘peace of God’, His peace, needs to be in our minds and hearts. The thing that will keep us from that peace of God is worry.

Our future, whether it be years from now, or seconds from now, belongs to God. He wants to be involved in it. He wants us to be consumed with His thoughts and actions first and then He will see that our needs are met. This way we will have perfect peace. God shows us this in James 4:14-15 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. KJV

The Present

We can see from a study about our past and our future, that God is concerned about every aspect of our lives.

This present moment that we are living, our present time, is a time that God wants us to be able to live to the fullest extent. God’s great love for us provided this through Jesus’ death on the cross. {John 10:10 shown below}

God wants our thoughts to be pure, and our thoughts to be free of sin, guilt and hurts.

God knows that we will be able to be free to concentrate on things He has for us in our now, if we are freed from all other ‘excess baggage’ from our past or worries of the future.

Jesus tells us in John 10:10 I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. KJV

Going back to 2 Cor 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; KJV we can see that it is a second by second process. Thoughts come to our mind constantly. Our thoughts are rarely quiet. We allow a thought to exalt itself against the knowledge of God when we accept the way it makes us feel that is contrary to what God’s words tell us we should feel. If our thoughts stir up inside of us fear, anger, strife, hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, doubt, worry or anything else that is contrary to God’s ways, then we need to take it into captivity and bring it into the obedience of Jesus. To do that we need to talk to God about it. Ask God to help us to put it into the right perspective. To help us to confess the stuff that is sin and get it forgiven and out of our lives. To help us to get healed of other things in our lives that are coming from our past and seem to keep creeping into our present as though they belong there. The only thing that belongs in our present is the present. Past hurts healed and past sins forgiven. And to help us deal with the things that keep nagging us and bothering us about our future.