Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
I have a selective memory. Just look at Hebrews 11. Each person’s life that I extol in that chapter, if you have ever noticed, I blot out the bad and remember only the good. Why don’t you imitate Me as My beloved children? It will give you righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Abraham is featured in Hebrews 11 and Romans 4 as a man walking in faith in the light, fully persuaded and giving Me glory. I never mention how full of doubt his reaction was when I told him that he would be a father, he laid on the ground and laughed. And I make no mention of the whole Ishmael incident. And Ishmael happened after I credited Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness. But I don’t mention Ishmael. My forgiveness is not just a one-time cleansing that if you fall after that all is lost. If you walk in fellowship with Me in the Light, the Blood of My Son continually cleanses you of all unrighteousness and sin. It is an eternal redemption. And I have hold of your hand.
Your sins and offenses I remember no more. They are gone from My memory. All those who are in Christ Jesus have been made holy, blameless, and beyond reproach before Me. This I do for you in Christ Jesus. In Him, I make you a new creation.
And when I speak of Samson, I don’t mention Delilah. I do not speak of your sins, I speak only of your faithfulness. I do not dwell on the bad choices in your life, I think on the good things in you. That is what Philippians 4:8 is all about, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8.
Think on things of honor and excellence, I do. You are precious in My eyes because I refuse to see you any other way. That is love and that is Me. You can still have wonders done in your life, just as if you had never sinned. Even after you were saved.
But now, I expect greater works in you. Wonders can be yours. Look at My servant Paul, he told you to imitate him in his beautiful thoughts as he imitated Christ.
I never tell you to do something I don’t do. Imitate Me as My dear children and walk in love. Everything I command you to do, I do, for I am love. Love has beautiful thoughts.
You may be wondering what I define as beautiful thoughts. Well, first of all beautiful thoughts do not give you negative feelings, they uplift and encourage you. They exhort you to higher realms of living. Beautiful thoughts please Me, but if you really want to know how to please Me, look at Jesus. He told you that He was never alone but that I was always with Him because He did what was pleasing to Me. And what did He do? I anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because I was with Him. Acts 10:38.
I am pleased when I see you walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. 3 John 4.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. My Word is truth. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will know how to imitate Me, for in seeing Him, you are seeing Me.
Jesus was obedient to My Words. Perfectly one with Me. Obedience makes you like Me. I never tell you to do anything I do not do.
So let us go back to your thoughts. Beautiful thoughts are anointed thoughts. I tell you that you have the mind of Christ, therefore you can think like Him. The anointed One and the anointing. Paul, who advised you to think on beautiful and excellent things as he did, wrote, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Taking every thought captive to the obedience of the anointing. The anointing to have His thoughts, the thoughts of the anointed One. My thoughts are not your thoughts, they are higher. They are in Heavenly realms. But I have anointed your head with oil and your cup overflows. What does that mean? I have poured the Holy Spirit on you as I did on Jesus and if you will receive without hindering Him—Jesus was totally yielded to the Holy Spirit, the devil had no part in Him—your cup, your earthen vessel, will overflow. Filled with the Holy Spirit is being filled with the anointing. Remember? Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, therefore He has anointed Me.”
When anyone was anointed as king under the Old Covenant, a flask of oil was poured on the person’s head. The head is anointed first and then it goes down the body. Your thoughts will control the health and life of your body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be filled with light, but if your eye is bad your body will be in darkness, and how deep that darkness will be! If anyone does not stumble in the words he says, he is a perfect man, able to control the whole body as well. James 3:2.
If you can take control of your tongue and your mind you will be a perfect man, complete in all things. But how can you do this when your emotions are going very much against you and disobedient thoughts are beginning to take over? The answer is one I tell you over and over and over but few people really use this amazing spiritual weapon, but remember your fight is not one of flesh but of spirit. So how does your spirit take control over your disobedient emotions and thoughts that want to take you down into darkness? You sing praise and give joyful shouts and speak in tongues and sing in tongues alternating with your known language. Like Paul, you pray with your spirit and with your understanding. But you must sing. Paul knew that, he went through many trials and times he could have been depressed, discontented, and discouraged but, like David, he knew how to strengthen and encourage himself in Me so that in all things he had learned the secret of being content, and not just content, but overflowing with joy. How? David told you, “I will wake the dawn with my song!” And “under the shadow of your wings I sing for joy till harm pass by.” And Paul? He wrote the secret: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Ephesians 5:15-20. And again, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:15-17.
Happy the people who know the joyful shout. I told Joshua that secret and it brought the walls down as if they had never been. The anointing destroys the yoke and lifts the burden. And there really is only one way to get so filled with the Holy Spirit you break that yoke apart. And it is singing praise. It is that fountain in you that leaps up to eternal life. Do you remember? In the book of Numbers, as My people wandered in the wilderness on their refusal to enter the Promised Land, “From there they continued to Beer (this is the word for well in Hebrew), that is the well where the LORD said to Moses, ‘Assemble the people, that I may give them water.’ Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing to it! The well, which the leaders sank, which the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs.” Numbers 21:16-18. They sang to the well to make it spring up! And that is what you must do. Now I think you will understand the song of Isaiah the prophet: “For the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, “Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted. Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things! Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:2-6.
I love you. “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child. Break forth into joyful singing and let your voice ring aloud, you who have not travailed; for the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.” Singing songs of praise and giving the joyful shout will lift you out of any pit. Before you doubt that, do it and you will be amazed. It is all part of selective memory.