“The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man …” (Psalm 94:11 KJV) “The LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee …” (1 Chronicles 28:9 KJV) Now and forever, God is a SPIRIT—Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient. Even when God was manifest in the flesh as the man Christ Jesus, still the Spirit of God was at work everywhere, reading hearts, thoughts, and minds. There is no place where the Spirit of God cannot go, nothing He cannot know, and nothing that can be hid from Him. It’s…
God KNOWS our thoughts. In our last study, we discussed how that God needs no interpreter. He KNOWS the contents of the heart of every person—every idea, notion, intention, and belief. He knows the precise moment a heart is ready to receive the gift of His Spirit. That’s because the Spirit of God is continually “reading” and INTERPRETING our spirit—even before we can fully comprehend and “know” our own heart. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27 KJV) In fact, God knows our hearts so well that, when He gives us the Holy Ghost, He Himself takes over and “interprets” His thoughts in HIS LANGUAGE through our lips! We call it “speaking in tongues,” but it’s actually the Master Interpreter skipping the translation into OUR own language and allowing us to “speak of the wonderful works of God”—in HIS! The language may be totally “unknown”…
“But he knew their thoughts …” (Luke 6:8 KJV) God needs no interpreter—He doesn’t need anyone to translate the meaning of the imaginations or the intents of our hearts. He just KNOWS. Jesus said to the hypocritical Pharisees, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts …” (Luke 16:15 KJV) Jesus equated Himself with God. As GOD IN Christ, He could—and did—read their minds. When the Pharisees came and interrogated Jesus, He already KNEW exactly what they were thinking about Him and what He was doing BEFORE they even opened their mouths. Before they could formulate the words and lay out their arguments, He read ALOUD the script of their hearts precisely. Instantly. Language interpreters—transposing a message LIVE from one language to another —must be a bit of a mind reader. A simple word-for-word interpretation rarely conveys the true intent implied by the speaker. Rather, an interpreter must transpose the source language (language to be translated), within the proper context, preserving the original meaning but rephrasing idioms, colloquialisms, and other culturally-specific references so that the intended audience can understand—without the aid of notes, script, or a dictionary—IN REAL TIME. A daunting task—it takes experience, a…
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24,ESV) Have you ever assumed something was correct, but that assumption was off the mark? I have—more times than I care to admit. It’s easy to jump to conclusions, but it’s better to confirm the facts. This incident happened quite a few years ago, but I still laugh when I remember. It’s the story of two people looking at the same situation from different perspectives. One had the facts; one made an assumption. To put the incident in perspective, my friend spent most of her adult life as a…
“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, NLT) Have you ever watched the pain and grief of a parent who has a wayward child? Or perhaps you are that parent. It’s so easy to agonize, “What did I do wrong? How did I fail?” I’ve known many godly people whose children turned away from God, and it’s heartbreaking. But it doesn’t mean they were bad parents. As I was reading the Bible this morning, I came across the story of Manasseh, the son of King Hezekiah of Judah. Hezekiah was a God-fearing man who trusted in the Lord and faithfully followed His commandments. You may remember Hezekiah as the king whose life God extended for fifteen more years (II Chronicles 32). During those fifteen years, Manasseh was born. Manasseh was only twelve when his father died and he ascended the throne. Everything his father stood for, Manasseh seemed to despise. His godly father would have been heartbroken to see the wickedness of his son’s actions and the way he led the nation into idolatry. As we…
“When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.” (Acts 12:6, CSB) Insomnia. I dislike those nights when my brain refuses to go into sleep mode, and I toss and turn for what seems like hours. Stir in a few worries and it becomes a miserable night. Why do problems seem so much heavier in the hours before dawn? Ever been there? Acts 12 tells us about the arrest and imprisonment of Peter. Herod had just killed James, one of the twelve and the brother of John. This action pleased the Jews so much that Herod then turned his attention to Peter. He was arrested and now in prison awaiting a similar fate of his fellow disciple. According to Acts 12:6, it seems the apostle Peter was having no trouble sleeping. In the same circumstances—in prison, chained to two guards, guarded by two more at the door, and facing death the next day—I’m certain I would not be sleeping very soundly. Or at all. Yet, Peter slept so soundly that the angel sent to lead…