WHEN A MAN'S WAYS PLEASE THE LORD, HE MAKES EVEN HIS ...

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Blog Layout WHEN A MAN’S WAYS PLEASE THE LORD, HE MAKES EVEN HIS ENEMIES TO BE AT PEACE WITH HIM -PROVERBS 16:7

Warren Rogers

www.christisyourlife.com

May I share what I see in this verse of scripture? I would like to describe the thought that I receive from this saying in the Bible this way--“When a man is thinking thoughts that are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to cease striving with him.” To be even more definite, let’s put it this way, “When a man observes things as God wants him to, he loses sight of his enemies,” To reverse this thought and see it from the opposite side, it says, “When a man looks at things with the improper emphasis and in the wrong prospective, he loses sight of God and becomes conscious of his problems.” I guess what I really am trying to say is, if you put your mind on God, you won’t have to worry about the devil.The man that is in Christ must remember that his enemies are not people or circumstances, but they that are of his own mind. As Jesus said, “A man’s enemies shall be those of his own flesh (mind of the flesh).” Paul said, “We have been alienated and enemies in our minds against the purpose of God.”--Co1.1:21. A man’s enemies are the thoughts and imaginations (images) that come before his mind--the things that attempt and purpose to move him from selfmastery or self-possession. The man that is in Christ must remember that he no longer has any real enemies for Christ has taken care of them. The believer is victorious! Jesus has already beaten principalities and powers at their own game (Col. 2:15).In the above mentioned verse, the word peace is used. A man’s enemies shall be at peace with him if his ways please the Lord. In this particular usage, the word suggests silence, stillness, a ceasing to be obvious. When a man’s thoughts are pleasing to the Lord, his seemingly apparent enemies become silenced, unheard of--they have ceased to be evident. This is because in order to please the Lord, one must cease being wicked and quit thinking thoughts that are from the wicked one--the ungodly one. The thought of our enemy must pass out of the picture. What picture are we speaking of--the picture screen of the mind. We have all heard the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.” If we fill our mind with Christ, the devil will have to leave.The source of agitation and turbulence ceases to hold sway over the mind because we have refused to give it place or acknowledgment. We have closed off every avenue of access and approach that leads to our mind. “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, his enemies cease to be apparent. If my thoughts are pleasing to the Lord, I will not have to worry about my ways. If I mortify the thoughts of the carnal mind, God says I shall live.” This is when God becomes Lord of the mind. I entertain no thoughts that are dead, therefore, I live (Rom. 8:6).I would like to take another word that is used in the particular verse I mentioned earlier and observe it in a certain light, the word please. When a man’s ways please the Lord--the word please here means to agree, to be in agreement and harmony with, to be equal in value. When a man’s thoughts are equal in value with God’s, He promises that his enemies cannot bother him, Only God’s own thoughts could be pleasing to Him for He alone is good. Our enemies no longer bother us because we have lost sight (undue recognition) of them. We have learned to regard them in the same proportion that God regards them--defeated powerless tools that gain influence only through over-emphasized observation.The man that is in Christ (and Christ is in God) is instructed to take no thought, that is, receive no thought nor regard any apparent enemy significantly enough to believe in his power to manipulate and remove him from God’s Peace. He must remember that Christ is his Peace and nothing can remove Christ for He is Lord of all. Peace has given His Word and declared, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”The man that is in Christ is stable and firmly fixed because he has a well-disciplined mind, and he has learned not to regard the appearance of evil. He has learned to close his mind to all that does not edify him. He will not acknowledge or recognize any spirit that purposes to place him in the defensive attitude. His equilibrium is properly established because he knows where the emphasis belongs and where he stands. As a result of this knowing, evil can no longer find its place with him. He is no longer tricked and deceived, no longer tossed to and fro, no longer under its dominion.The man that is in Christ must learn to think as God thinks. He must become familiar with the mind God has given him. His enemies have no power over him because he knows that God is his Life and there is no greater power.How does God approach the subject? He says, “I am and besides me there is no other.” No other what? There is no one to challenge or contest Him for He regards Satan and the works of Satan as nothing--only that which He has already defeated in Christ.” It is apparent that man’s ways (thoughts) must be as the Lord’s ways before he can rest and cease from his struggles. It is a known fact that God does not struggle for He regards no real opponent to contend with. He is not on the bottom end of the totem pole, striving to get to the top, and in His mind neither are His children. He sees them as being where He is. I know this because that is what Jesus prayed for as recorded in John 17, “Father that they may be with me where I am.”That which appears to be opposing me is not at peace with me when my thoughts are not pleasing the Lord because to not please the Lord is to over emphasize and acknowledge the existence of that which does not suggest Peace. Consequently, we reap the nature of our thoughts. God does not want us to mind or give place to anything that does not beget Peace.” “To be Spiritually-minded is Life and Peace, but to be carnally minded is death.”--Rom.8:6.I would like to consider a sobering question. Are we not to observe the things that touch our life as God sees them? Can we be happy any other way? Whichever way we choose to observe things will determine what kind of fruit we reap and what kind of wages we will be paid. This fruit will be in direct proportion to our faith.We must observe the Lord only and as Jesus said, “Simply believe.” This was a singular command to acknowledge the things that beget faith alone and to shut one’s mind to all else that intrudes. If we will do this, we will find that our enemies are made to be at peace with us even as God has said; for we would have learned to lose sight of all that distracts, closing the door forever to that which kills, steals, and destroys. We will recognize the existence of that which opposes us only to the extent that we may learn good from evil, follow after that which is good, and refuse the bad.“Who is blind but my servant or deaf as my messenger that I sent? Who is blind as He that is perfect (mature) and blind as the Lord’s servant? Seeing many things but thou observest not, opening the ears, but he heareth not.” “Butter and honey shall He eat that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.”--Isa.42:19-20. This is true Spiritual balance. It is the result of having closed forever the door of our mind to that which cannot enter the Kingdom of God with us now. < Older Post Newer Post >

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Warren Rogers Articles

COMMUNION

By Warren Rogers • July 9, 2025 Communion, an interesting word. Actually, there are two words in the one word. They are COME and UNION. An invitation to us from the Christ to enter into union with Him and His Father--no more separation. Paul said in his writings, “You are dead and your life Is hid with Christ in God.” Sin had separated us from God. Jesus came to remove that separation. We need never worry about being separated from the Lord. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Paul said in Romans Chapter 8 “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Jesus prayed for us as recorded in John, Chapter 17. “I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil that is in the world for they are not of the world even as I am not of the world.” Jesus always had His prayers answered so we are quite secure. No demon power can remove us from the love of the Father--isn’t that great!!

FATHER KNOWS BEST

By Warren Rogers • August 4, 2023 It is not the nature of the flesh to appreciate the value of Spiritual thoughts. It seems that only when flesh and blood are brought to the place of utter desolation that a divine appreciation is born within the human spirit. How we ought to praise our heavenly Father for the trials and temptations that come our way — knowing that His promise IS that it will always end in a divine conclusion. He has said that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us and that He WILL perfect that which concerns us. You see, in order for God's will to be done we must be purged from every desire that opposes Him. (That's really the only time that God's will is done.) The Father knows just how and when this is to be brought to pass. It is through these "wilderness experiences" that we learn the most significant spiritual lessons. It is often when we are in the desert of human aloneness and seemingly isolated from the rest of the world that we can hear our heavenly Father talk to us, Sometimes we are not willing to bring ourselves to this solitary place of meditation, so our Father arranges things in such fashion that we are reminded once again of our need to seek His face. We do not always like the process that brings us to this place of learning, but we may be comforted in the knowledge that ALL things do indeed work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. His purpose, of course, is that we be "conformed to the image and likeness of His dear Son" - Rom. 8:28-29. Sometimes we forget just HOW our Father brought His first Son into conformity with His will. We read in the Bible that He was A MAN of sorrows and acquainted with grief — He was tempted in His desires in all ways like we ourselves — He was lonely — despised and rejected of men -- He had emotions and even wept as we might today. Many times He found it necessary to withdraw Himself not only from the multitudes but His own disciples too, in order to pray and seek His Father’s will. You see, the Father understands the weakness of all flesh -- He made it! He also knows just what must be done in order to conform us to His likeness while all the time strengthening our faith. The Bible takes time to record that even Jesus, God's first Son, the captain of OUR salvation, the author and finisher of OUR faith, the first born among MANY brethren, LEARNED obedience through the things that He suffered - Heb. 5:8. Jesus, the human Jesus, was not always aware of His Father's leading in His sufferings, perhaps even as we many times are not aware. His flesh did not necessarily enjoy the process of change any more than ours. You see, obedience is the criteria here and disobedience is deeply rooted.in ALL flesh. That is WHY in order for man to learn the things of God, his flesh must be subjected to a certain kind of suffering. It is this suffering we are talking about that brings about the will of the Spirit in our lives. Jesus experienced this suffering, for He spoke from the same place of conflict when He said "The Spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak" - Matt. 26:41. Paul says in Romans 8:3 that Jesus came in the "likeness" of sinful flesh. So, you see, the flesh is not really the answer, it is just a part of the problem: that is as long as it is not under the control of the Spirit. In fact, that's all a problem really is, just something that is not yet under the control of the Spirit. Quite simple, isn't it? Maybe we should yield "right away".) About this suffering thing: the Bible says that IF we suffer with Christ we will also REIGN with Him, It sounds like it is saying, "no suffering, then no reigning". Some today would like us to believe that suffering, any kind of suffering, is absolutely unnecessary. I can't buy that! The Apostle Paul must have derived the same kind of SPIRITUAL BENEFIT through his sufferings. He must have seen some sort of purpose in it even to the extent that he sounded these most unusual words..."That I might KNOW Him and the power of His resurrection AND the FELLOWSHIP of His SUFFERINGS being made CONFORMABLE to His death" - Phil. 3:10. Wow! That’s a pretty difficult statement to make, let alone understand, Why in heaven’s name, if a Christian is to escape ALL manner of suffering, would Paul want to fellowship or share in the sufferings of Christ? I thought that Jesus came to deliver the human race from suffering. I thought that one did not have to suffer. I supposed that suffering, any kind of suffering, was a sign of spiritual weakness and ignorance on the part of the believer. 1 thought that if you were to read "Seven Steps to Victory" by Dr. Know It All , one didn't have to suffer. I thought that all suffering was supposed to be of the Devil and any one who suffered in any way, shape, or form was living far below their God given privileges. Surely, any one that suffers must be out of the will of God and lacking in faith! Evidently, neither Peter, Paul, James, John or Jesus, who all either wrote or spoke about suffering and trials, had not been fortunate enough to get their hands on the right cassette tape series. They must not have known better. Question: Could there be a certain kind of suffering that is JUST AS MUCH a part of the will of God as being healed? Seems to me that the Bible speaks an awful lot about trials and temptations accompanying the Life of the believer. Even Jesus mentioned a cross for EVERY ONE to bear. You don't hear much about that to¬day though. It seems that in order to be in tune one must be a heavy advocate of health, wealth and prosperity, or he is out of rhythm. Maybe there is another side to the coin that flesh and blood does not like to hear. Even Peter said some of the strangest things about suffering. Perhaps what he said, according to some of our modern day seminar teachers, was way out of context. Maybe the Holy Ghost didn't give him his material. Perhaps he wasn't fortunate enough to have attended one of our modern theological seminaries. Maybe he didn't have a Bible dictionary or an analytical concordance. Maybe he didn’t know anything about Greek or expository preaching. Perhaps he had forgotten to memorize the fundamental principles of "Victorious Living". Here are some of the things he said about this matter of suffering — listen! "For as much then AS Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin (no wonder flesh wants nothing to do with suffering) — THAT he no longer should live the rest of his time (the time he has left) in the flesh, to the will of man, but to. THE WILL OF GOD. Beloved, think it NOT strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some STRANGE (out of the ordinary) thing has happened to you. But rejoice in as much as you are partaking of CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS. After you have suffered a while, God will make you perfect and establish, strengthen and settle you. Wherefore let them that suffer ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD " According to what? I Peter 4:1-2. It sounds like suffering, a certain KIND of suffering, is just as much the will of God as having a Devil cast out. Could it be that there is a particular God ordained suffering that is used to bring ones will into subjection and conformity to the will of the Spirit of God? Aren’t flesh and Spirit contrary one to the other? If, according to the Bible, Jesus LEARNED obedience BY the things He suffered, then He must not have known what the Father required of Him until He was trained in the things of the Spirit. You do not need to learn something you already know — it is only that which one does not know that he must learn. The Apostle Paul wrote another thing about this thing called obedience. He said that we are to "cast down (dethrone) imaginations and EVERY high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge (Word) of God and bring into captivity EVERY thought to the OBEDIENCE of Christ". He said that this is HOW obedience is fulfilled ~ II Cor. 5:4-6. It was Paul who also said^ "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you PRESENT your bodies a living SACRIFICE (how the flesh abhors sacrifice), holy, acceptable unto God, which is YOUR reasonable service: and BE NOT conformed to the worlds system, but be YE transformed by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may understand what is that good, and acceptable and perfect, WILL OF GOD - Rom. 12:1-2. Renewing of the mind IS the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. You see, until we learn to PRESENT our bodies in obedience to the Lord (actually presenting of our bodies IS obedience to the Lord) and to lead every thought captive, suffering will be the inevitable tool that God will use to help bring this about. Someone once said, "God does not use force, but He certainly knows HOW to make you willing". The Scriptures say that the way of the transgressor is hard and as the sparks fly upward man was born for trouble. Suffering in the flesh is the Father’s way of redeeming the spirit and bringing man’s will into conformity with His will. Even Paul once said that he had delivered a man’s flesh to Satan’s control that the spirit might be saved. The Bible clearly states, "The wrath of God IS revealed from heaven AGAINST TVLL ungodliness". It also says, "Tribulation and anguish upon EVERY soul of man that does evil, but glory, honor and PEACE to EVERY man that works good" - Rom. 1:17; 2:9-10. It must be clearly understood that when the Bible speaks of suffering, it does not necessarily mean to suffer from sickness or disease or some kind of physical disablement. The kind of suffering the Bible speaks of here is the kind of suffering that belongs exclusively to the believer. The world does not experience this kind of suffering. This kind of suffering comes from the conflicting and contrary desires that are at war within the believer. The reason for this conflict is because man HAS been made a new creature and that new creature is at work within him and wants to gain control of his mind. If there were only one entity, there would be no struggle. Actually, it is God and the Devil fighting it out for control of man's will through his mind. Man yields to whomever he chooses. The Bible plainly identifies this as ".the sufferings and afflictions of Christ" You may remember Paul mentioning this kind of suffering when he wrote about the struggle between the FLESH and the SPIRIT - Gal. 5:16-17. He said that they are CONTRARY (in opposition) to one another and they strive to gain control of man's mind. Actually, you might say there is a civil war going on within man. This causes the most painful of all battles until the will is conquered and brought once again into subjection to the Spirit of God. Remember when we said that a problem is just something that is not yet under the control of the Spirit? Jesus Lord . Show More

Roy Stahl Articles

Talking Faith

By Roy Stahl • July 18, 2020 There is a scripture in the New Testament that on the surface of things looks most peculiar. It’s Romans 10:9. Actually there is a wee bit in the eighth verse that tells you what the whole thing is about. It goes this way: “This is the Word of Faith that we preach that if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” That’s just plain talk! It’s somewhat reverse order from the way most people do things today. Today we figure that we better have something in our hand before we start talking about it. That’s true too. But this other is “talking faith.” The person who is not born again doesn’t do much faith talking. That’s one of the big differences between people today. Some talk faith, and some don’t, even among those who are born again. The person who believes God tries to do what God tells him to do. One of these things is to talk and act faith. The Bible says that FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”--Heb.11:1 Putting this together with Romans 10:9, I come up with this way of receiving from the Lord. If the Lord has provided something for me that I want and need, I confess that I have it, believe in my heart that this is so, and it becomes mine. This is like the Lord told us about prayer. He said, “Whatsoever things ye ask when you pray, believe that you have received them, and ye shall have them..”--Mark 11:24 Super psychology, you say. Well, maybe, but it’s God that’s backing it up. When you believe God, and put this thing to work because you believe God, you’ll see things happen! When the children of Israel finally came to the point of believing God, they began to act. They acted strangely perhaps, but they acted. God said, “There’s Jericho, it’s yours. Here’s what you do...” Then He laid out one of the strangest battle plans I’ve ever seen. Just go out and march around the wall of the city. Do it once everyday for six days, then on the seventh day march around seven times, but don’t say a word, just be quiet. Then on the seventh day when you finish your marching, just give a big shout. It looked somewhat strange to do all this marching and shouting before the victory, but Jericho wasn’t delivered into their hands until they did open their mouths and shout. O.K., look at Romans 10:9 again. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart…” then you’ll possess. That’s God’s way of doing things. Why don’t you do it?

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