“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jer. 17:10 ESV

He tests your thoughts and intentions

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 ESV)

Let this mind be in you

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:5-11 KJV)

Therefore, be single minded

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8 ESV)

 “For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.” (Job 33:14 NLT)

His sheep hear His voice

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 ESV)

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Heb. 1:1-2 ESV)

God speaks through The Words of Christ

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:27 ESV)

Jesus is the Word

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 ESV)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NIV)

Jesus will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jer. 33:3 ESV)

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matt. 7:24 ESV)

 “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:2-5 ESV)

Hope is mentioned three times in the above passage

1) We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

2) Character produces hope.

3) Hope doesn’t put us to shame.

And these three things happen “because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:5 ESV)

The God of hope fills you with joy so you will abound in hope

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13 NASB)

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT)

Serve one another humbly in love

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Gal. 5:13 NIV)

Even Jesus came to serve others

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NIV)

God will not forget your work

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Heb. 6:10 NIV)

 “So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.” (Eccles. 11:10 NIV)

God says many times in the Bible not to be anxious

It’s often stated as an outright command not to allow yourself to be anxious, period! That may seem shocking to those who may believe people have no self control over anxiety. But, just think about it, God would never command you to do, or not to do, anything you couldn’t do! The above passage, for instance, is a command to “banish anxiety from your heart.” Here is more from God’s Word on the subject.

Do not be anxious about anything

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7 ESV)

Cast all your anxieties on Him!

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

Jesus mentions “anxious” three times in the following passage and commands you not to be anxious

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Matt. 6:25-34 ESV)

God gave us a spirit of self control

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

 “He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” (Psalm 23:3 NIV)

Life is filled with many choices to go this way or that way. How do you make the right choices? Begin by including God in them.

He will make your path straight when you acknowledge Him in all your ways

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:6 NIV)

Keep to the paths of righteousness

“So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous.” (Proverbs 2:20 NIV)

Use God’s Word to light your path

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NIV)

The way of wisdom and upright paths

“I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.” (Proverbs 4:11 NIV)

“Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.” (Deut. 34:7 NLT)

God limited the normal human lifespan to 120 years

“Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.” (Gen. 6:3 NLT)

We have a better convent than Moses had, based on “better promises”

“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (Heb. 8:6 NLT)

Pray that you may enjoy good health

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (2 John 1:2 NIV)

What to do if you get sick

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15 NIV)

Jesus is the way

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIV)

There is salvation in no one else

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)

Jesus is the mediator between man and God

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 2:5 ESV)

Jesus is the door

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9 ESV)

Jesus is the narrow gate”

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (Matt. 7:13 NIV)

You’re not condemned if you believe in the Son of God

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18 ESV)

Whoever has the Son has life

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12 ESV)

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 NIV)

The passage above tells important things we should know about the Word of God.

• It is alive - not dead, alert and full of life, active, energetic, vigorous, vital, vivacious, exuberant. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John. 1:1 ESV).

• It is active - busy, energetic, lively, mobile, vigorous, dynamic.” So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa. 55:11 ESV).

• It is sharper than a two edged sword - the notion that if two sides of the same blade are sharp, it cuts both ways.

• It penetrates the heart – the center of hidden emotional-intellectual-moral activity. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7).

• It divides the soul and spirit – Soul is your inmost being, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” (Psalm 193:1). Spirit is the immaterial part of you that “connects” with God, who Himself is spirit. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24 NKJV)

• It divides the joints and marrow - The marrow of a bone is in the very core of the bone and the joint is the point of connection on the outside of the bone itself that joins it to another bone. Therefore, the Word of God is sharp enough to separate between the inside and the outside of the bone.

• It judges thoughts of the heart – idea, notion, opinion, view, impression, feeling, theory; judgment, assessment, conclusion.

• It judges the attitudes of the heart – viewpoint, outlook, perspective, stance, standpoint, position, inclination, temper, orientation, approach, reaction; opinion.

The Word of God is at work in believers

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” (1Thess. 2:13 ESV)