Encouragement

---

Jeremiah 18:3-4
3Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheel.
4And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it.

I am intrigued with these scriptures. They are very telling of Gods authority and great love.

In context, God is talking about Israel. But I’m thinking of Job. Job is described in Job 1:1 (Amp) as a man that was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from and shunned evil [because it was wrong]. Later in the book of Job God allowed Job to have his oxen, donkeys and camels stolen, his servants killed by the thieves, his sheep killed by lightning, his 10 children died. His body became covered with terrible sores, ulcers and scabs from head to foot. Then his wife told him to curse God and die. And you think you have it bad. I see Job as clay that was spoiled in the hand of the potter. God made Job stronger and gave him more wisdom and insight into His character. And God saw that it was good.

We too, will go through very difficult times. And the Lord will use these times to mold us and shape us into the likeness of Christ. God’s roll in our lives as the potter is to allow the difficult times to draw out the undesirable characteristics in our life. In these difficult times we learn how much we need God’s mercy, grace and love. We learn how corrupt our thinking is. We learn about the faithfulness of God and so much more.
Our part is to renew our minds. It is made clear in Isaiah 55:8-9 that our ways and thoughts are not the same as the Lords. It is also clear, as Christians, we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16 ) We also have the fullness of Christ in us. The Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Colossians 2:10)

So now what? The bible is clear that the Lord allows difficult times in our lives to change us for the better and at the same time we already have the mind of Christ and His fullness in us. Yet at times we still fall short. So how do we change?

Here are a few helpful tips:
* Take action. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:12, “work
out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your
own salvation…” We need to take action against our fleshly
desires and worldly way of thinking. We must renew the mind.
(Ephesians 4:22-23)
How? Read the Word. The Word is powerful and will dig deep
within us exposing ourselves to Him who changes us.

* Ask the Father for His help. It is He who changes us, not us.
Hebrews 4:15-16,1 Peter 5:10)

* Believe that He will never let you down and He will continue to
work in you. (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 1:6)

“Next Level Thinking” helps you realize that you need God’s help to change. Then humbly ask Him for it.

What area in your life could you humbly ask God to change?

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR