{"id":1434,"date":"2021-10-10T14:35:01","date_gmt":"2021-10-10T19:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/?p=1434"},"modified":"2021-10-10T14:35:01","modified_gmt":"2021-10-10T19:35:01","slug":"a-willing-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/10\/a-willing-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"A Willing Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
\u201cFor if there be first a willing mind, it is<\/em> accepted according to that a man hath, and<\/em> not according to that he hath not.<\/strong>\u201d
2 Corinthians 8:12 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet during the time of the final\nfive kings of Judah.\n\u201cBefore I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth\nout of the womb I sanctified thee, and<\/em> I ordained thee a prophet unto\nthe nations<\/strong>\u201d (Jeremiah 1:5). God called Jeremiah to be His prophet before<\/em><\/strong>\nGod even formed him in the womb. God had already sanctified him. Sanctified <\/strong>means \u201cto pronounce clean; consecrated (set apart) to God<\/em>.\u201d  The word ordained<\/strong>\nmeans \u201cputting forth a voice<\/em>.\u201d God\nhad set Jeremiah apart to serve Him by speaking God\u2019s Words to the nations\n(including us today). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, like most people, Jeremiah\u2019s initial response\nwhen God called him was that he was inadequate (see Jeremiah 1:6). If you think\nabout it, most people feel quite inadequate when God calls upon them to do\nsomething for Him. But keep in mind that God also knew you before you were\nformed in the womb, and if God didn\u2019t know you could do it, He wouldn\u2019t have\nasked.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God responded to Jeremiah much as He would probably respond to anyone who\nthought they could not do what God called them to do. See what God said to\nJeremiah: \u201c7. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am<\/em> a child: for\nthou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou\nshalt speak. 8. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am<\/em> with thee to\ndeliver thee, saith the LORD. 9. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched\nmy mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth<\/strong>\u201d\n(Jeremiah 1:7-9). God not only encouraged Jeremiah that he could do what God\nasked, but God put His words in Jeremiah\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God told Jeremiah His plans. He was going to allow the enemy from the\nnorth to enter into Jerusalem\nbecause of the people\u2019s continual wickedness and idolatry (see Jeremiah 1:15-16). Then God continued with amazing words\nof encouragement. \u201c17. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and\nspeak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I\nconfound thee before them. 18. For, behold, I have made thee this day a\ndefenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against\nthe kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof,\nand against the people of the land. 19. And they shall fight against thee; but\nthey shall not prevail against thee; for I am<\/em> with thee, saith the LORD,\nto deliver thee<\/strong>\u201d (Jeremiah 1:17-19).\nDid you see what God was going to do for Jeremiah? When Jeremiah spoke to the\npeople, God would make him like a \u201cdefenced city<\/strong>\u201d, \u201can iron pillar<\/strong>\u201d,\nand \u201cbrasen walls<\/strong>\u201d against the whole land. Jeremiah was not to be\ntroubled by the people\u2019s response to God\u2019s Words \u2013 for God would strengthen Jeremiah\nto complete the task at hand. More importantly, the people would not prevail\nagainst (triumph or overcome) Jeremiah \u2013 because God was with him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were many good things happening in the land of Judah when God called Jeremiah. However, the days were not always good. Jeremiah spoke for over forty years. The final four kings of Judah were terrible times! God called Jeremiah during those final years of Judah\u2019s existence. During those years, God\u2019s people were conquered, carried from the land of promise into captivity, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Temple burned. However, God never left Jeremiah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we just remembered, God knew Jeremiah before he was even born. He called, prepared, sent Jeremiah as a prophet for God and promised to be with him. Keep in mind, God will never give us anything to do that He will not help us complete. \u201cFor if there be first a willing mind, it is<\/em> accepted according to that a man hath, and<\/em> not according to that he hath not<\/strong>\u201d (2 Corinthians 8:12). God will be with us. We only have to trust Him (just like Jeremiah). God encouraged Jeremiah just as he had encouraged many before him by giving encouraging words when He called them to do something for Him. Think back to Moses. Moses did not think he could do what God asked, yet read God\u2019s response in Exodus 4:10-12. Remember the encouraging words given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. \u201cBe strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is<\/em> that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee<\/strong>\u201d (Deuteronomy 31:6). And to Joshua when he was to lead God\u2019s people. \u201cAnd the LORD, he it is<\/em> that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed<\/strong>\u201d (Deuteronomy 31:8). Even today, we are encouraged to trust God. \u201cSo that we may boldly say, The Lord is<\/em> my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me<\/strong>\u201d (Hebrews 13:6). As we found out, that was what God expected of Jeremiah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have a willing mind, recognizing God will help you do what He asks?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet during the time of the final five kings of Judah. \u201cBefore I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations\u201d (Jeremiah 1:5). God called Jeremiah […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[318],"tags":[470,814,186,815,60,813,812,183,231,270],"class_list":["post-1434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-picture-with-verse-and-blog","tag-call","tag-courage","tag-god","tag-helper","tag-jeremiah","tag-jerusalem","tag-plans","tag-prophet","tag-sanctified","tag-strong"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1436,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions\/1436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}