The Lord drew me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon the rock. He steadied my steps and established my goings.

He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to my God.

Do not be too concerned about what may happen tomorrow, the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations  and say continually, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in him and I am helped.  He is not only with me but in me and I in him.”

Jesus is the guarantor  of a better covenant. He holds the priesthood permanently. Consequently he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.  When Jesus, the Christ, appeared as high priest of the good things to come, he entered once for all into the holy place by means of his own blood thus securing eternal redemption.

The blood of Christ, who offered himself without blemish, purifies my conscience from dead works to serve the living God. He is my mediator of the new covenant so that I may receive the promised eternal inheritance.  Christ has entered, not into the holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself, to appear in the presence of God the Father on my behalf.  He appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. He will appear a second time, to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Messiah, the Christ, sent by God the Father to reconcile His people to Himself.  You are Jesus, the apostle and the high priest of my confession. You are faithful to God who appointed you. I hold fast my confidence and my boasting in you, Lord Jesus, you are my hope.

You are a sure and steadfast anchor of my soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the veil where you have gone as a forerunner on my behalf; having become my high priest forever.  Since I have a great high priest who is passed through the heavens, I hold fast my confession. I have a high priest who is able to sympathize with my weaknesses because he was in every respect tempted as I am and yet without sin.  Therefore, because of Jesus, I have confidence to draw near to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace in times of need!

From time to time in this blog I may pause to state some personal opinion or thoughts or a teaching. I pray I will be accurate and helpful but I just want to point out that if you see an “Ed Opinion”, you will recognize that it is an opinion and not something taken directly from the word of God. Most of my posts will be the very words of God.

Please let reiterate my suggestions for the messages that I am blogging. Most of them are written in the format of making them personal for the reader. I read them often and sometimes read them out loud to myself, in effect “preaching” to myself. I do that repetitiously and intentionally.  My intention is to renew my mind. I want the very word of God rolling around in my mind to take each thought captive as those thoughts pass through my mind.   I have done this for some years now fairly faithfully and I find that the word does take on life in my mind and it will do battle with thoughts that don’t agree with God.

So my suggestion is that you would do the same thing with these word postings that I am making. It’s hard at first.  Our flesh resists and tells us about how silly it is to do these things; especially out loud, but if you’re in private and it’s the word of God then here’s a chance to overcome your flesh and feed the Spirit of God who dwells in you.

Now I’m not talking some legalism that you have to do it this way, and I’m not talking some magic mantra that if you repeat this seven times something will fall from heaven for you. What I am saying is that if the word of God is on your mouth and in your heart that’s a good thing (Romans 10:8). I believe it’s the main way God renews our mind. So God bless you with courage and faithfulness and endurance in praying the word of God with your mouth.

I have come to believe and to know the love God has for me. His love is perfected in me. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.   I love because I realize God first loved me.

I have been born of God, I believe that Jesus is the Christ. I keep my eyes steadily on the word of my Lord.  This is the victory that overcomes the world; my faith (i.e.  the seed God has given me and the light and life that is in the words of my Lord and my Heavenly Father).  I have been born of God and by his grace, I do not keep on sinning, but God’s Spirit in me protects me and the evil one cannot touch me.

The son of God has come and has given me understanding so that I can know my God and Jesus his son. I am in Christ and he is the true God and eternal life

In view of the mercies of God I present my body today a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. I am not conformed to this world, but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind, and I discern what is the will of God.

I do not think more highly of myself than I ought to think but I think with sober judgment. I rejoice in hope, I am patient in tribulation, and I am constant in prayer.

I do not repay evil with evil. So far as depends on me I live peaceable with all. I do not avenge myself, I leave vengeance to the wrath of God. I  I am not overcome with evil but I overcome evil with good.

Since by God’s grace I am in Christ there is no condemnation for me because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.  God has done what the law could not do.

By sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh, God has condemned sin in the flesh and fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law in all who walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh;  for to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The Spirit of God dwells in me. I belong to Christ. I not in the flesh but in the spirit.  The spirit is life because of Christ’s righteousness. The Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead dwells in me and gives live to my mortal body.

I have died to the law through the body of Christ and I belong to another. I serve God in the new way of the spirit.

Apart from the law sin is dead. I know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions for I do not do  what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.   Nothing good dwells in my flesh. I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. When I want to do right, evil lives close at hand. I delight in the law of God in my inner being. I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me  captive to the law of sin. Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Thank you, Heavenly Father, that I have been delivered from the flesh through Jesus, the Christ, my Lord and Savior.

I have been born again; not of perishable seed but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. The word of God remains forever. This is the good news that has been preached to me.

I am one of the chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a person of God’s possession, that I may proclaim the excellencies of God who has called me out of darkness into his marvelous light.